The Price of Your Betrayal
by averell torrent
Summary: Naruto sits in his cell thinking about all the events leading up to this. He was betrayed. Not thinking that it would actually happen he was slightly shocked even though he prepared for the slim chance of it happening. However, he can't help but smirk now that all is going according to plan. rating may change based on peoples input when things get violent. input welcome.
1. Beginings

**[A/N/] This story will contain many OCs as well as many characters based off of other movie, book, anime, or TV shows. Also, I like to quote so you might recognize some lines I use. For now all I can say is that if you think I should change anything feel free to tell. Also, any overly rude comments will be ignored. Also, I can't help but say that lack of time and being lazy combine to lead me to say that most things won't be translated to Japanese. An example would be jutsus aside from the elements. However I will try to include what I can without worrying too much. I hope you enjoy. Also, i don't own Naruto or anything I use for material in my story.**

"I can't believe that it actually turned out like this", came a voice from the dark corner of the cell. Naruto Uzumaki. He was betrayed and now things were set in motion.

His decision to plan for many large things was a wise decision. Though this betrayal shocked him, he could no longer stop himself from smirking as everything was going according to plan. _'I still can't believe that it turned out this way. Oh well. All that's left is to sit and wait' _He sat in the darkness, unable to stop himself from thinking of all the events between now, and when everything had started.

*break*

Nights in Konohagakure were usually calm. However, some nights were less than usual. One such night would be October 10th. On this night there was a six year old who stumbled into his small, clean apartment where he lived alone. He wore a tattered white shirt and equally torn orange pants, with a thick black line down the two sides.

This was six year old Naruto Uzumaki. He had just managed to escape a mob. He still didn't know why they hated him so much, even though he had been trying to figure it out. He even tried asking the Hokage, who had told him he didn't know. He stumbled towards his bathroom while covered in his own blood, somehow the wounds were already stitching themselves back together and closing. At this point going to the bathroom was more to clean himself, than to tend his wounds.

In the bathroom, there was a small mirror about as tall as he was. It was leaning against the wall because he was too short to look into the one above his sink. Naruto used the water from the sink to wash off his face before turning to look into said mirror to see his reflection staring back at him. His expression showing his sadness over the situation before contorting into a face of rage as he punched the mirror. Instantly the mirror was covered in a web of cracks around his fist, which was now full of shards from the mirror. He didn't care. It would heal like all his other wounds did.

He looked into what was left of the mirror trying to think about what to do next. Some of his escape plans had worked. He had managed to set up an emergency underground system over time but was too far from any of the hidden entrances when they attacked. One of the villagers had started a mob at some point and they had started to chase him down. One of his escape plans that had worked, was setting up small places he could hide where he kept some food in case he needed to wait there a while.

He had one time hidden in the sewer system and had waited there. He saw how extensive it was and had started mapping it over the next few weeks, and had mapped almost every pipe. However, the openings large enough for him to get into were limited. When he realized this he started to set up an underground tunnel system for him to use that he had been able to dig up himself. Granted it was difficult due to the concrete and stone.

_ 'I need to figure out more ways to avoid and escape conflicts with them. I can't fight a whole mob.' _Naruto had tried before when he was cornered but it made things worse. They simply beat him more. Some of the villagers had attacked, and many simply watched. But then a thought struck him. Another perfect plan unfolding. He started to smile. It was a broad, almost goofy smile. _'Well, that's one plan that I could use. I wonder what hiding behind a smiling mask would get me.' _

He turned to finish cleaning himself off before changing his cloths and moving towards his closet. As he walked over to his closet he couldn't help but smirk as another plan popped into his head. If one didn't work he could try another. Small ideas came to him all the time. He tried to plan for everything and discarded ideas that would never help. When he got into his closet he opened a small panel he put in to cover a hole.

He long ago started using the apartment next to his as a study where he kept his plans and thoughts. It would be bad if the Hokage saw some of them. No one else lived there and the Hokage had no reason to use the other apartment. Many of these included contingencies in case he needed to leave Konoha. He knew he would never get away if they knew he had plans for it. _'If the Hokage knew he would set up ways to stop me.'_ This was all important to him. He knew that in this world, with his life, he needed to be smarter or he would never survive.

He walked over to a small desk he had and turned on a lamp before writing his new idea down, this way he could remember all of the details of his plans later. _'Well that might help with getting some of them off of my back.' _He turned around and looked at the stacks of paper almost as tall as he was. There were hundreds of them. All were plans waiting for the conditions necessary to use them. If one was no longer needed he would see if parts of it could be used in a different plan, then threw it away.

Naruto had been looking into the small mirror in his hand for a while now. This was not the first time he tried to change a personality trait in order to appease them. Being more serious for some reason made things worse. They seemed to think of him as a more serious problem. _'Yeah, but this time I'm going to be hiding behind a mask of idiocy. Six years of my life, they have made me miserable, and the Hokage still doesn't know why. I can't help but wonder why. All this time and there are only a few people I can trust. At least weasel should be here soon. I can trust him.' _Right on time there was a knock on his window before a man in a weasel mask came in through it. "Hello Itachi."

"I've asked you not to use my real name while I'm on duty. Even if you and I have become friends. Also, I'm sorry I was not there to protect you last night. My mission took longer than it should and I didn't get back until it was too late." Itachi said.

"Well, that's fine. I understand. Care to take a guess what my new plan for trying to keep them off my back is this time?"

"Hm… based on the way you're smiling, I would have to say that you are going to try and hide behind a smile."

"Exactly nii-san. However, a more complex way of saying it would be that I will be hiding behind a mask of stupidity and a smile so that they take me less seriously and leave me alone. I hope it doesn't work though."

"Why is that?"

"Because when I look at this idiotic smile in the mirror I almost want to break the mirror. I hate feeling like I might need to hide behind this stupid mask."

"I can understand that," Itachi started, "so I hope for your sake you don't have to do so for long."

"Alright, it's taking all my will power to maintain this mask. Let's get to the Hokage so I can inform him." Naruto said.

Itachi nodded and followed as Naruto jumped out the window and followed from the rooftops as Naruto took off down the streets, towards the Hokage tower. Itachi would have to stop by Naruto's place tomorrow night before he left so he could say good-bye. Itachi was going to be leaving tomorrow, leaving behind everything in his life for the existence of a criminal and a murderer. He felt bad that one of the few people that the younger brother figure trusted was going to be leaving him alone, but he didn't have much choice.

On the way there they were met with no resistance. The people were too shocked by Naruto's weird and overly happy expression that they couldn't react before he was gone. When they got into the Hokage tower, Naruto burst into the Third's office. The third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, was currently alone with his fingers on his temples. He was squinting like he was trying to focus intensely on something. In actuality he was trying to disintegrate the mountain of paperwork on his desk with his mind.

It took the village leader a few moments to notice that Naruto was there. "Oh I didn't notice you there Naruto. Here to greet me before your first day at the academy?" Naruto's huge and goofy grin did not go unnoticed.

"That's right jiji." He said with his hands behind his head. "Still trying to make your paperwork disappear with your mind?"

Sigh*. He was seen. "Yes, Yes I was," The grandfather figure said. He was another one of the few Naruto trusted. "so do tell, what is with the change of attitude? The last time I saw you was only the day before yesterday and you were rather bored with the situation."

Naruto's smile wavered almost unnoticeably it was so slight and fast. "Well I'm hoping that hiding behind a mask of stupidity will help get them off my back." The third instantly knew who and what he was talking about.

"We shall see." The third said starting thinking about the effect this could have. "You have tried changing attitude before. Are you sure this will work?"

"My hope is that they take me less seriously."

"Alright, let's hope it does then." He checked the time. "I have a meeting to go to and you're almost late. Go ahead, I'll see you later and we can talk more."

Naruto turned to leave but stopped, his voice turning slightly darker but almost un-noticeably so. "Have you figured anything out about why they hate me or anything about my family?"

"I wish I did but no. Nothing yet." The Hokage responded, his voice sounding slightly depressed.

Instantly Naruto's voice went back into a cheery mood. "Alright, well I'll get going."

After he left Itachi came from the corner and walked up to the third. "So when do you intend on telling him?" he asked.

When he can defend himself and he is ready." was the reply, but before Itachi left he said "Oh and Itachi, I'm sorry." Itachi simply nodded and left the third to glare at his paperwork as he continued to watch over Naruto on his way to the academy.


	2. Making Friends and Learning Truths

**Now updated.**

**[A/N] Well, this is the second chapter of The Price of Your Betrayal, Making Friends and Learning Truths. Hope you all enjoy.**

**Once again I don't own Naruto or anything I use to make extra content. Once again if you think changes should be made or have any ideas feel free to share. Also, this chapter won't be as interesting until the last part because I'm introducing some of the people Naruto will become friends with later on. But stick with me and I will do my best not to disappoint. Also I feel I should inform you that any part I don't fill in can be left to the imagination so long as it fits. If you have any questions pm me**

Over time, a few things changed. Naruto was now ten years old. He couldn't help but wonder at some of the things he had yet to solve. The first was why Itachi had come to him that night and told him good bye, or why the older brother figure and guardian had asked him to help his younger brother Sasuke to stay on the right path and get stronger. When he heard about the massacre of the Uchiha clan he could not believe it at first. That was why Itachi had said good bye. However, while he had figured out that part, he was unable to make all of the pieces fit. Why come to say good-bye when you were about to slaughter your clan? Part of it didn't fit, and Naruto didn't think it ever would unless he talked to Itachi again.

However, after all this time he had still yet to officially meet the younger brother but had seen him a few times. It was clear that he would have to get close to him before he could help him. However, that was not easy as he rejected most human contact. He would have to wait until a time when it would be easier.

Another thing that changed is that the attacks grew less frequent and, on average, less brutal. This seemed to stem from most people taking him less seriously now that he was an idiot. He was often left alone and had very few people that ever talked to him. For some reason people still avoided him. But that was fine. He had wanted to be noticed by the village, to make the village like and respect him, but for now he was settling for not being hated.

He was now walking out of one of the side doors to the academy, as he wanted to avoid some of the roads and paths that were more widely used. As he walked out the door he noticed that along the wall of the main academy building there were two people bullying another person while a fourth was lazily watching. His own words were that it was too troublesome to get involved. Naruto was about to go over and intervene, but when the word freak reached his ears the idiotic mask he used to hide his true face slipped away for the third time since its creation. The first two being times when he was talking to the third and momentarily let it fall. The only difference was that this time it didn't just slip; the false face partially fell away to reveal a dark aura in his eyes as he let loose some of rage at the world he kept inside.

Naruto quickly walked over, trying to contain the killing intent, and saw that Kiba and Choji were beating up Shino while Shikamaru was watching. Before Naruto got close enough to be noticed, he heard why they were attacking Shino.

They thought Shino was a freak because of the way his clan had bugs living inside their bodies. It sickened Naruto. When he got close enough his voice was darker than usual, and it carried the undertone that he was ready to kill whoever answered his next question unfavorably.

"What in the world are you doing?" His dark, but calm, and slightly lowered voice shocked them all, even Shino, who was glad someone had come.

Kiba was the first to shake his unease at the tone, as well as who they came from, and spoke up "What's it look like Uzumaki? We're beating up the freak. Now join in or go away!"

Naruto couldn't take it anymore and snapped. "YOU THINK YOU HAVE SOME RIGHT TO ATTACK AND JUDGE SOMONE FOR THINGS BEYOND THEIR CONTROLE?! HOWDARE YOU!" The others were shocked that this would come from him. His smile was replaced with a look of absolute loathing. "If you think you are better than him, then look at yourselves! You fat Akimichi! You think you are better?! I'm surprised your clan hasn't eaten this village into poverty!" Under normal circumstances Choji would have attacked but he was too shocked at how Naruto was acting.

"And you," he pointed at Kiba "your clan spends so much time with dogs I'm sure you're covered in more flees than any bug user has ever seen!"

Shikamaru was thinking to himself right now. _'I know I've judged him too but I really hop he doesn't yell at me. It would be too troublesome.'_ But his hopes were denied as Naruto looked at him.

"And you, did you think I wouldn't notice you?! You sit there and the only reason you don't get in on this is because you and your clan are the laziest group of people to ever exist! You think this gives you a right to attack someone for the clan they were borne into?! You are all hypocrites that deserve a horrible fate! I just hope I'm there to see it!" he said. Once his rant was done, the silence that followed was deafening. No one could have expected that this would have come from Naruto. But as quickly as it came Naruto quickly put the mask back on and while smiling offered a hand to Shino who at this point was sitting on the ground against the wall. "Need a hand?"

Shino merely gave a single nod and took the help up. All four of them were looking at Naruto like he just slapped them with a third arm that grew out of his neck. His face went to one of confusion as he waved his hand in front of Shino's face. When he got his attention he turned to walk away saying "Come on! Or do you want to stay here?" After he said that, Shino walked quickly to join him.

"What the hell just happened?!" yelled Kiba.

*break*

Over the next few weeks Naruto and Shino had become good friends. Naruto had eventually explained how he was hated for a reason he did not know. They quickly became friends and usually hung out together after they were done at the academy. Today they were on their way to Ichiraku Ramen for lunch. All at once Naruto stopped walking and turned around. His halt was caused by the feeling that he was being watched. His suspicion was confirmed when he saw someone duck behind a fence. Naruto was curious as to who would be following him and went to check it out.

"What's wrong Naruto?" Shino asked. He was unaware of them being followed.

"We are being followed." Naruto whispered in response.

They backtracked so that they could see who was stalking them. However, they were shocked to see Hinata. _'It's that girl I saved from those guys a couple a years ago.' _He thought. He had seen her in school and realized how shy she was.

"Hey there Hinata." He decided not to question her about following them and instead decided to see if he could make a friend out of her. "We were headed to Ichiraku Ramen. Want to join us?"

Shino quickly saw what Naruto was trying to do and agreed. "Yes, as they say, the more numerous the more favorable."

Naruto looked at him. "I don't think that's how that goes Shino."

They both chuckled for a few seconds before turning back to Hinata. Shino spoke up, "So what do you think, Hinata?"

She looked at Naruto and blushed while poking the tips of her fingers together as she started to stutter. "S-s-sure N-Naruto."

"Alright, let's go"

_'I wonder if he will ever figure out why she acts like that' _Shino wondered to himself as he watched the clearly oblivious Naruto turn towards their destination.

*break*

Three days after turning Hinata into his friend Naruto was walking towards the Forest of Death. During times when he wanted to get away from everything he had spent time in training ground 44 due to the fact that no one went there. He like the quite that came with it. The forest was one of the many training grounds, and forests in general, that surrounded the village and were within its barrier. He knew that plenty of people were afraid of the forest, but most of it seemed to be rumors as the creatures living in the forest generally left him alone unless he got too close or they were just in a bad mood.

He had wanted to spend time with Shino and Hinata, but they were currently busy with things at their clan compounds. On the way there, he noticed the glares, but tried to ignore them. He didn't expect it when someone ran into him and he stumbled back. When he looked up to see a woman he didn't know. However, anyone who knew her, would call her Anko Mitarashi.

"Watch it brat!"

Naruto saw it. That look in her eyes. She looked at him like everyone else. Things quickly changed when they both heard people whispering. She turned to see people looking in her direction with looks of hatred and fear. She was about to yell at them to piss off, when she suddenly realized they weren't looking at her. They were looking at Naruto. This shocked her because her hatred for the monster had kept her from seeing that she looked at him like the villagers would look at her most other times. She looked at him to see he was looking her in the eye with no emotion on his face.

"They look at us in the exact same way. Did you ever notice that?" he said seeing the shock on her face. "Oh well." Then he started to walk away leaving her to her thoughts as she saw all their glares follow him. This was going to weigh heavily on her mind for a while.

*break*

"Well, that sucked." Naruto was sitting under a tree with Shino and Hinata. Three years had passed since he made friends of them. He had been able to change a few things as time passed. Not long after he met her Anko had found him in the forest of death sleeping next to the roots of a tree. When he woke he and she had a conversation about their shared pain and how lonely they really were. Anko had told him how she had trained with Orochimaru. How the village hated her for it. She told him of how she had suffered the pain of being alone because of that monster's mistakes.

With Shino, Naruto had been able to make him open up. He was still overly quiet when he was not around people he knew but changes usually come with small steps. Being more talkative with Naruto and Hinata was a step in the right direction.

Hinata still blushed and stuttered and her blushing was far and few between. Though it was particularly around Naruto who still hadn't realized, but she had gotten better. Her stutter was less and usually she could hold a good conversation. She was still shy but over the past three years she had gotten significantly better.

He had eventually introduced Anko to them and over time the four of them had all gotten significantly closer. Anko was sometimes seen as a big sister figure due to her being older and protective of her new found friends. Beneath her mask of not caring about what others thought of her, she really did want to have friends. Over time they had learned more about her, such as the fact that she could be exceedingly sadistic when she felt like it. This counted even more so for her position in the integration department.

They were currently trying to figure out how they could solve a problem.

"Well, that sucked." Naruto was sitting under a tree with Shino and Hinata.

"I a-agree Naruto-kun" Hinata said.

"So what are we going to do know? We could always ask Anko-san to…_'talk' _to them. I'm sure she could find a civilized solution to this mix-up." Shino said.

"Uh, Shino, that's really…how do I put this…oh yes, that's probably the most sadistic thing I've ever heard. I like it." Naruto said. He knew Shino meant torture. He could tell Shino was smiling even though he couldn't see most of Shino's face. "But as entertaining as that would be merely to listen to, let alone watch, their report has probably been written up and sent in already. If they changed it now without a good reason….." he let it hang there.

The problem was that Naruto had failed the genin exam. His scores were just enough for him to pass. His 'henge' had caused the teacher Iruka Umino and most the class to almost pass out from blood loss caused by massive nose bleeds, as well as most of the girls to call him a pervert and proceeded to hit him on the head. But, it was perfect and passed. However, his bunshin were crap and he had failed. The jutsu had created a single copy of himself, but the copy was nothing more than a blob formed into the shape of a person. He would probably curse that jutsu until he was buried, after which he would still curse it. The problem was that now his friends would probably not be around as much, but it could not be changed for now. He would have to try again in a couple of years.

"As much I would love to sit here with you guys, I'm going to go sit in the Forest Of Death and think." He said.

"Alright Naruto. We'll meet you at Ichiraku's later then." Hinata said.

"See you then. Oh and Shino," he said getting the boy's attention. "Don't have Anko _'talk' _to them."

As Naruto walked away, he could have sworn he heard Shino mutter something about Naruto spoiling his fun. It caused him to have a slight shiver. Shino could also be one sadistic person when he wanted to be. Naruto continued to walk towards the Forest Of Death down one of the back roads of Konoha so as to be noticed less. Naruto knew they weren't actually back roads, but he had used the term for paths and roads in Konoha that were less used then most. He was stopped by a hand on his shoulder. He turned to see Mizuki, the other teacher, standing there. Naruto knew that Mizuki was one of the biggest saboteurs of his education. However, he decided to ignore it as it helped fit his mask. Naruto had known for a long time that Mizuki hated him like everyone else did. He could see it in the man's eyes. However, Naruto had yet to figure out why, just like with everyone else. Naruto had never trusted or liked the teacher, but pretended to have no clue because he wanted his mask to remain until it became more of a hindrance than a help. He would get stronger without the fool, so he saw no reason to make a big deal about it. The only problem was his inability to pass.

"Naruto, I'm glad I was able to find you. I'm here to give you your make-up exam." He said with a smile.

"Make-up exam?" He didn't believe this for a second but his mask was a guise of gullibility and needed to be maintained.

'_To easy.' _thought Mizuki. "Yes. Because you failed I was authorized to give you another chance."

"Alright Mizuki-sensei. What's this test supposed to be exactly?" he asked, giving a broad smile.

*break*

It was sad to admit, but taking the scroll from the perverted third Hokage had been all too easy. Naruto was sitting in the small clearing Mizuki told him to wait to receive his hitai-ate, the item that distinguished him as a graduate student. Now all that was left was to learn a technique from the scroll.

'_That means it won't be suspicious if I open it'._ Opening it gave Naruto the biggest shock of his life. There were notes in this scroll from the Shodaime, Nidaime, and even a few from when the Sandaime was younger. There were seals, notes, jutsu, and even information about the bijuu, how to seal them, and jinchuuriki, _'Whatever those are.' _Naruto thought, in the scroll.

_No wonder Mizuki wants this.'_ Without giving it much though Naruto set to work. Long ago he had gone to the library in the academy to learn about sealing scrolls so he could hide his food, clean water, and other valuables. So he did what anyone in his position would do. He copied everything he found and took everything sealed in the scroll and put them in his own scrolls. Once the scroll no longer had use to him compared to what he carried he quickly learned a jutsu.

'_I'll need this when Mizuki gets hear.' _He quickly took to the jutsu he chose, due to its lack of needed control, and closed the scroll just in time.

"Naruto, what do you think you're doing." Came a voice that was way too sweet sounding. He turned around to see Iruka.

'_I'm screwed' _"Hey there Iruka-sensei. What are you doing here?" he said sounding nervous.

"I could ask you the same thing." Then he noticed that Naruto's cloths were slightly scuffed. _'Has he been training?' _

"Naruto!" they both turned to see Mizuki. _'Crap, with Iruka here I'm going to have to speed things along.' _"Naruto you pass, now toss me the scroll and I'll give you your hitai-ate."

"No Mizuki I don't think I will. I think I will instead kick your ass" Naruto said.

"Strong words from a thirteen year old." Mizuki taunted. Iruka was about to tell Naruto to stand back before Naruto continued.

"You did tell me to learn one technique from the scroll."

'_Crap, I didn't expect him to actually learn something from the forbidden scroll. He has to be bluffing.' _Mizuki thought _'Either way, Il have to use the trump card.' _"Naruto, would you like to know why everyone hates you?"

"No, Mizuki it's forbidden!" Iruka shouted.

"What do you two mean? Even the Hokage doesn't know that. I've asked him!"

"Well that shows how much he can be trusted Naruto since he made the law that no one can tell you this. Do you know the story of the Kyubbi that attacked the village?"

"Of course, the Yondaime killed it."

"Mizuki, shut up!" Iruka tried to intervene.

"NO!" this came from Naruto, shocking both instructors. "I want to know what you two are talking about!"

Mizuki smirked. "Well you can't kill a bijuu. You have to seal it within another person. That day you were born the fourth sealed it into you! You are the Kyubbi! Now die!" Mizuki sent one of his large shuriken flying. Before Naruto could try to dodge or block it Iruka jumped in front of it and took the shuriken to his back.

"Why?" Naruto asked.

Iruka went on to explain how he no longer saw Naruto as the monster everyone else saw. How his own life allowed him to understand why Naruto acted as he did. He long ago new Naruto was using a mask to hide. He explained how he truly saw Naruto Uzumaki. He told Naruto how he come to think of Naruto as a younger brother because of how similar their lives were without family.

"Well, isn't that sweet. But I don't have time for this." Mizuki finished before he kicked Iruka away. "Now I'll take the scroll and kill you both."

"Wrong teme!" Naruto's face contorted into one of rage. "If you ever lay a hand on Iruka-Sensei, I will kill you! Oh wait. I'm already going to do that!" Naruto yelled as he made a hand seal before more than a hundred Naruto's popped into existence. "Hold him down I want to finish him myself." Mizuki may have been a chunin but it didn't take long before he was restrained with the clones pulling each limb in a different direction. The real one walked up to his head before whispering in his ear "good-bye." A sickening snap filled the clearing as Naruto broke Mizuki's neck.

Iruka was shocked to say the least. But when Naruto looked at him he was terrified. Naruto's eyes finally showed his true face as the mask was shattered. His eyes showed the calculating, smart side. They showed his hatred, as well as the calm. They showed that he was no longer the idiot with a smile. His face was blank.

"Well Iruka-sensei. Let's get back to the Hokage." Iruka simply nodded as Naruto helped him remove the shuriken from his back. With the adrenaline leaving his system mixed with the pain, it was not long before Iruka was being carried unconscious on Naruto's shoulder while he carried the scroll under his other arm.

That the Sandaime Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, was shocked was an understatement. He never would have guessed that the real Naruto would have been capable of something like this. He knew that the real Naruto would have undergone some changes under the mask over time, but this still shocked him. Well, he only found him and tuned in once Mizuki had gotten there so didn't know about Naruto's cleansing of the scroll. They would be in his office soon so he put away the ball and stood in front of his desk to wait.

He was not surprised when Naruto came in without Iruka. _'He must have given him to a guard so he could be taken to the hospital.'_ "So, Naruto could you tell me all of what happened?"

"Sure, but first I would like you to make sure no one else is listening." His replay was a privacy seal being activated, and a signal for the ANBU, the elite of Konoha's shinobi, to leave.

Naruto walked closer with his face still blank. He put down the scroll before he further shocked the Hokage. Naruto punched the grandfather figure in the stomach causing him to lean over in pain. The Sandaime hadn't expected Naruto to attack him. They were close, and he saw himself as Naruto's closest thing to family. The saying was true then. Even the greatest could be taken down by what they didn't see coming. Even a stray kunai could take down a kage if they didn't stop it or see it.

Naruto spoke, his voice low and cold, "Did you think that would not happen?! You lied to me! Every time I asked, you looked me in the eye and lied through your teeth. Did you think I could not be trusted? That I couldn't accept the knowledge? What other lies have you told me? Do you know who my parents are?" The kage was panicking. This was all unravelling. "You listen, you have lost my trust. You should be glad I killed Mizuki, because if I hadn't I would still be angry, no pissed off, and would probably have had a kunai in my hand when I punched you." The man's eyes widened at this. He might be dead had Naruto acted differently. "Oh, and let's not forget I still need you to tell me what you know. I'm going home." He removed his fist and turned around. "Things are going to be different now. I hope you realize that." he said as he walked out the door.

**Alright, tell me what you think. Until next time.**


	3. Gathering Information

**[A/N] Hello, I would like to thank everyone who made it this far. However I was a little disappointed that so few people have reviewed. I want some feedback. Anyways, I'm hoping that things will be more interesting in this chapter. Anyways, on with the story. This fanfic is brought to you in part by the 'I don't own any of this' corporation.**

Naruto woke to the sound of knocking. There was someone at the door. When Naruto got out of bed he was wearing his orange pants with single black lines running down the outside of both legs, and his Uzumaki patch on his left hip. He was also dressed in a black shirt with the Uzumaki swirl on his back made out of red line and filled in with white.

As he made his way to the door, he had to wonder who could be there right now and what they wanted. When he opened the door, he didn't expect to be pulled into a hug, nor did he expect his face to be pulled into some large assets. The one hugging him was none other than Anko who wanted to both hug, and strangle the blonde at the same time. She figured this would do.

"Anko, I dont think he can breathe with his face right there." In actuality, despite sounding amused, Shino was actually jealous while Hinata was blushing.

When she released Naruto from her grip she spoke. "Alright, spill it. What happened? You didn't show up to Ichiraku's last night, causing these two to come and find me. Meanwhile I was summoned by the Hokage to track you down after you stole the forbidden scroll. Now you have to tell us why."

Naruto nodded. "Come inside and I'll explain." His face looked grim.

When they got in, Hinata spoke first. "Naruto-kun, when you d-didn't join me and Shino-kun at Ichiraku's we became w-worried. We went to find Anko, but all she s-said was that she couldn't talk at the moment because she was trying to find you. She looked pissed."

"I was looking for you because apparently you had stolen the forbidden scroll." Anko responded. "Now why don't you tell us what happened Naruto" Anko said sounding falsely sweet.

'_Great, here comes the shit storm' _Naruto thought to himself before he let loose a tired sigh. "Well, I guess I should tell you how I came to create a mask to hide my true self, how last night it shattered, and how I killed Mizuki before punching the Hokage." His audience stood there gaping at him.

Anko was thinking to herself _'Oh I have got to hear this.' _He went on to explain how the village hated him, how he had created his mask to try to appease them, how last night he had gone through with Mizuki's plan so he could single out the traitor, and everything that had happened last night. What he dreaded was the telling Hinata and Shino about the kyuubi. He knew Anko already knew, so he didn't worry too much about her. He could trust her. When he got done telling them how he was the container for the Kyuubi and how it had caused so much of his misery, he looked at the three of them expectantly.

Hinata was the first to act. She wrapped her arms around him pulling him into an embrace. "We are your friends Naruto. No matter what has happened, there is no way we could hate you for this. We will always be here for you." She said, as she started to cry into his right shoulder.

'_Hinata, thank you.' _Naruto thought as he wrapped his own right arm around her.

The next was Shino who put his hand on Naruto's free shoulder before speaking. "You once defended me because I had something living in me. I could not control that aspect of my life. I shall always do the same for you my friend."

Anko was the last as to speak. "You know I already knew. So all I have to say is that I'm sorry I never told you." She sounded almost depressed. Naruto extended his left arm in a sign of forgiveness. She spoke again, smiling this time. "I hate group hugs, but I'll make an exception this time.

"What do you mean grou-" Shino never finished his sentence as Anko pulled him and herself closer together and into Naruto's extended arm as she enforced said group hug. She wrapped one arm around Naruto and Shino, while the other went around Hinata before she squeezed them in what could have classified as a B-rank taijutsu death-grip.

There was a collective "Anko I can't breathe" before she let them go, smirking to herself. Their moment was interrupted by a knock at the door. Naruto quickly went to see who it was this time.

'_Who knows, maybe it's another ground-breaking life-changer.' _When he opened the door it was Iruka. "Sensei, what are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be in the hospital?"

Iruka smiled, "Yeah, but they had a medic-nin help patch me up. The shuriken didn't go to deep, so they dismissed me without too much argument. They patched me up, told me not to move too much for couple of days, and said I could go. However I'm here for more important reasons." He said as he pulled out a hitai-ate and handed it to Naruto.

"What is this?" asked the stunned Naruto.

"Because you mastered the kage bunshin, the Hokage thought you deserved it. He also told me to tell you he was sorry, and that after he cleared his schedule he wanted to talk to you. Mind if I asked what happened?"

"Maybe later. For now I just want to say thank you for becoming someone I can trust."

"What do you mean Naruto?"

"For now, just take my words to heart sensei."

Iruka gave Naruto a confused look before sighing and accepting it. "Alright, ou're welcome Naruto, also I think I should inform you that team placement is in a few minutes. You might want to hurry up. My replacement won't wait on you."

"Oh no, we forgot." They heard Hinata say.

"Hinata! Shino! What you doing here? You're going to be late."

Anko walked up and said, "Don't worry, I'll get them there on time."

"S-Sure A-Anko. I'll l-leave it to y-you." Anko still scared the crap out of him. "Uh, as long as you all get there on time. I'll see you later Naruto."

"Good-bye Sensei. I'll see you later." Naruto responded, before Iruka left. Iruka tried not to run, due to his orders not to move too much. Anko still scared the crap out of him. Once, a child who failed the genin exam paid her in dango and sick satisfaction to, as she put it, _'talk' _to him. He lasted all of ninety seconds before he said he would change his report. Just the memory of the event made him shiver.

Meanwhile Naruto closed the door before thinking to himself _'Maybe the Hokage is here to tell me I've been chosen as the Godaime.'_ As he opened the door to find nothing on the other side. _'Darn it'_

"What are you doing?" Anko asked.

"Nothing. So how are we going to get there on time?"

"I'll handle that." Anko said. "I'll use shunshin. It's a technique that allows me to move at high speeds. Grab my arm and try not to puke." As much as they wanted to know how to do this and why they might puke, they knew they were short on time and grabbed her arms.

When they got there, there were several different reactions. Shino hid it well, but was excessively dizzy, Hinata threw up in a corner, Naruto did better but was actively trying not to do the same as Hinata, and Anko let loose a sigh over Hinata's actions. Some of their classmates were shocked by their arrival, some, Shikamaru, were disinterested because it was too troublesome, and finally the teacher that hated the theatrical entrance face-palmed.

"Alright ja-ne, time for me to get out of here. Good luck" Anko said before disappearing with another shunshin.

'_I've got to learn how to do that' _went through many of the student's heads.

Waving it off like it was just a distraction the replacement teacher spoke, "Alright, come on! Let's get this over with, I've got a poker game after this." Naruto, Shino, and Hinata quickly sat down.

"Hey, baka, I thought you failed." Came Sakura's voice.

"I did, but when I killed Mizuki after he betrayed the village, the powers that be decided I deserved a promotion." Was the only response she got from the blonde who was sitting there waiting with little emotion on his face.

Shocked, she couldn't say anything before the teacher continued giving off team placement.

*break*

To say that Naruto was disappointed was an understatement. He and his friends had been separated be that ridiculous team placement. He ended up on a team with Sasuke Uchiha and Sakura Haruno. His relationship with the two was limited to say the least. One, he had tried to get close to. He tried to help Sasuke, when he was in the same class so that he could fulfill his promise to Itachi. However, this was difficult, seeing as how Sasuke distanced himself from everyone. Now Naruto knew what Itachi was talking about.

Sakura was originally on Naruto's list of people that might fit the obvious choices for his mask. She was someone that others would have expected to see his fake persona going after. However, he was happy he found friends in Shino and Hinata so he didn't have to deal with such idiocy.

Naruto did have to say that waiting for three hours for their new team leader was beginning to make him angry. However, while sitting there Sakura decided to ask Naruto about the sudden change in attitude.

"Naruto, what happened to you? You're acting different than usual." While he tried to hide his interest, Sasuke was also curious, considering how he talked about killing a chunin.

Naruto gave a short and derisive chuckle. "Well, the answer to your question is simple. All that time you knew me…. what you actually knew was nothing more than a mask I wore to get some of you idiots off of my back. Last night, when Mizuki tried to steal the forbidden scroll, revealed a secret that was punishable by death, tried to kill me and Iruka-sensei, and, last but not least, pissed me off, I dropped the mask and used a jutsu I recently learned to kill that teme."

They were to stunned to respond. The Naruto they knew was just a mask. Even Sasuke had a small amount of shock on his face. At that moment, Naruto was stood up. He was tired of waiting.

"I'm heading to the roof." He said

"But what about waiting for our sensei." Sakura stood up trying to stop him from getting them into trouble.

"I'm done waiting here. You can tell him where I'm at when he finally gets here. But first…." He didn't finish as he went to work with some rope and a panel that he pulled out of a scroll. Sakura and Sasuke stared at him, wondering what he was doing. Naruto continued setting something up for their late sensei, before leaving. The entire time he paid their stares no mind. They thought they heard him chuckle darkly, before he was gone.

It was another thirty minutes before their sensei, Kakashi Hatake, walked through the door. He was about to speak before he heard a click. "What wa-" was all he said before a panel appeared under his feet and some hidden ropes sent him flying out the window. The two sitting in the class sweat-dropped that he was fooled so easily.

After another few moments he walked back into the room, much more cautiously this time, while pulling a branch out of his clothing. "Well, my first impression of you is that….where's the other one?"

"He said he would be on the roof. He was tired of waiting on you in here." Sakura said.

'_Well that's a first. I guess it's time to go meet this Naruto Uzumaki.' _"Alright, seeing as how the other one is already there, meet me on the roof." He said before he shunshined to the roof. The two ran to the roof wondering what was going to happen between them and the two mysteries they were now on the same team with.

When Kakashi got to the roof, he found Naruto sitting on the railing reading a book. "Can I assume that you are the one who set that trap in the class?"

He received a nod in response.

"I already don't like you." Kakashi said.

"Why? Because I set a trap for you or because you fell for it?"

"A bit of both actually."

"Well that's too bad," Naruot said, "according to this book there has been an age old argument over whether or not it is better to be loved or feared. I quite personally lean toward being loved. When people fear you they might take drastic measures to get rid of their fear."

"That sounds like a wise assessment." Kakashi responded. "You like to read and can give some good wisdom. Perhaps you aren't so bad after all." He finished with a strange eye-smile before they were joined by Sakura and Sasuke. "Good, I think it's about time we introduced ourselves. Sit down. I'll go first.

"My name is Kakashi Hatake. I have no desire to tell you my likes and dislikes. Dreams for the future…Hmm. And I have lots of hobbies."

"All we learned was your name." Saskure said.

"Very astute." Naruto said.

"What about you?" Kakashi said, pointing to sakura.

"My name is Sakura Haruno. What I like, or rather who I like…" she said as she started looking at Sasuke. "My hobbies are…." She continued to look at the brooding teammate. "My dreem for the future is…" she said before squealing.

Kakashi sighed. "And what about your dislikes?"

Sakura would have originally have said Naruto, but she now knew very little about this new him. "Ino."

Kakashi sighed again. "And what about you, the one brooding."

"My name, is Sasuke Uchiha. I hate a lot of things, and I don't particularly like anything. And what I have, is not a dream. I will make it a reality. I will restore my clan, and I will destroy a certain person."

'_Great, a fan-girl, an avenger, and an imbecile if the file is correct.' _Kakashi thought to himself, before gesturing to Naruto. "And what about you?"

"My name, as a jounin like you with all of our files probably knows, is Naruto Uzumaki. My likes are reading, planning, my friends, and keeping my word. My dislikes include, but are not limited to hypocrites, idiots, people who can't see past their own hatred of something to see reality, and betrayal. My hobbies include planning, spending time with friends and people I trust, and training. And my dream is to gain respect, become acknowledged by this village, and to become the Hokage."

'_Interesting, the final member of this team is the exact opposite of what I was expecting. I'll have to ask the Hokage about that later.' _"Well, now that we know each other it's time to get ready for your exam tomorrow."

"Sensei, didn't we already have our exam? That's why we are here to begin with." Sakura said.

"Actually that was just to weed out those who couldn't handle it. Tomorrow you will take an exam to decide whether or not you become genin or go back to the academy. Meet me at six am on Training Ground 7. Good luck. Oh, and you shouldn't eat breakfast or you might throw up. See ya."

"Well," Naruto said standing up and stretching, "I'll see you tomorrow. Oh, and I would disregard some of his orders."

"What foolishness are you spouting now dobe?" Sasuke asked arrogantly.

"I'm saying that if you don't eat you won't have the energy for whatever is going to happen. I'd rather throw up." As much as Sasuke hated to admit it Naruto was right.

Before Sakura could speak up to call Naruto a baka, Sasuke said, "He's right, we should spend more time getting stronger that listening to orders that might get us killed."

"Oh Sasuke, you're so cool." Sakura squealed with delight.

'_I'm out' _Naruto thought before taking off. With the hitai-ate on his head he no longer had to worry about the villagers. He was now virtually untouchable by them because of it. He knew that no matter how small of a part he was, he was part of Konoha's military. The villagers might be unfathomably stupid, but they weren't about to attack a member of the military. That would give Naruto and the Hokage all the reason needed to justify having the villagers responsible put to death.

However, as happy as he was about that, the Hokage wanted to see him. Time to go see what he could get out of the village leader.

When he got to the Hokage tower it was not long before he stood in front of the Hokage. If one were to look closely you could tell said leader had been crying. Naruto was both looking forward to this talk and dreading it.

"You wanted to see me Lord Sandaime." The third was shocked by the coldness in his voice.

"Hello Naruto. I wanted to talk to you." The Hokage said, sounding like he was trying to suppress his sadness.

"I gathered that much from Iruka. What do you want to talk about? If all you want to say is that you are sorry, well I got that from Iruka as well."

"I- What I wanted to talk to you about I need your word won't leave this room." He said as he activated the privacy seal.

"It will not leave this room except for the few I have in my own inner circle. If there is one thing I've learned, it's that I'm the more trustworthy of the two of us." Naruto said, a scowl growing on his face.

The Sandaime sighed. Getting closer to Naruto again was going to be difficult. "As long as it won't become common knowledge…..I'm going to tell you about your parents." The look of shock on Naruto's face was priceless. He didn't expect getting it out of the man to be this easy. "Walk with me." The kage said as he stood up.

*break*

A few hours later and they were walking in the woods behind the Hokage monument.

"So my parents, they were one of the last Uzumaki and the fourth Hokage."

"Yes, their names are both on the memorial stone if you want to stop by there tomorrow."

"Their last wish- did you even tell anyone about it? Did you even try to tell the villagers what the Yondaime's last wish was? Did you even try to stop this village's stupidity?"

"I did, but they were blinded and would not listen to reason."

"Well, then that is not your fault. What is your fault though is how I have lived all my life." Naruto said, his voice taking on an ominous undertone.

"What do you mean?" He asked even though he already had a feeling about what he was saying.

"My parents left me their house, accounts, and everything else. Yet I lived, getting barely enough to survive from you, in a small apartment that was constantly vandalized, and as I recall when I was five the old place I lived in was burnt down. I didn't have much of a problem with that last one aside from the fact that I was still inside. If not for Itachi, I would be dead." His voice was getting darker and it made Sarutobi shudder. "I want it all" Naruto said shocking the Hokage.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean I want my inheritance. All of it. You don't have a right to deny it from me anyways. You might have the power to do so, but not the right. It was left to me by my father and mother, if anything, I'm the only one in this world with the right to determine how thee things are handled."

"Naruto I don't think-"

"What you think no longer has much value to me. You have no right to say no, now I'll say it again. I want all of it."

"Fine, but I would request you don't start attracting attention. You promised you would keep it a secret."

"That I did. You see this was my first test for you. That fact that it didn't take much to get this from you means you are trying to get back on my good side, or at the very least you still feel remorse at lying to me. This won't be my last test for you, but know that it will not be easy to get my trust back. I will simply change some things, but I do intend on using my new home. I'll move my own belongings. Don't bother trying to send people to help, it will only attract attention."

"I-I understand. I truly am sorry." He said as he pulled an envelope out of his robes and handed it to Naruto before he turned to walk away. For now leaving Naruto to his own devices might be best.

"I'll talk to you later old man." Naruto said before putting some distance between himself and the Hokage. Once he was alone he quickly created 10 clones. "Keep yourselves hidden, don't draw attention to yourselves. Other than that you know what to do." He said before they disappeared. The envelope he had been given contained the location of his parents' home, which was not too far away from his current location, the key to said home, and forms needed to access that accounts that now belonged to him. All of the jutsu scrolls that his parents owned would be in his home.

When he got there he expected to find a mansion fitting for a Kage. While the home was large it was smaller than expected. The home was two stories tall with a design like that of an ancient Japanese castle with white walls and black roofing. Inside were four bedrooms, two bathrooms not including the bathroom inside the master bedroom separated by a door, a large kitchen, an even larger living room, an even larger library, and a good sized office, and a small, walk-in closet that acted as a small armory. The walls had blades, kunai, shuriken, paper bombs, and Hiraishin Kunai on the shelves. He could tell that it was little more than a storage closet for weapons, but it was still amazing.

The four rooms had obvious uses. One was set up to be the room Naruto would have been in when he was born, two were guest bedrooms, and of course the master bedroom. The kitchen was completely void of food but all the appliances and such were still there and looked to be completely untouched during the past thirteen years.

The living room had several couches and chairs, a few shelves with board games and books on it, and a screen that was projected on by the projector in the wall. It was like a miniature theater as the windows could be covered with curtains that blocked out the light.

Deciding to get to the most important thing, he headed towards the library. The large, well carved, mahogany double doors had beautifully carved and complex designs of four intertwined dragons blowing fire and doing what could almost be called a dance. This image entranced Naruto for a moment before he opened them to find a room that seemed much larger than it should have been. All across the walls and filling the room were shelves covered in books, scrolls, pictures, notes, and other items. The sight astounded Naruto. However, he was broken from his trance as the ten clones had come in.

"Boss, where do you want this?" The Alpha clone asked.

"Take food, water and such to the kitchen and put them in the appropriate place. Take everything else and follow me to the office." The real one said as he walked to the office where he would store everything else until he found a good place for them. He had still yet to check what he got from the forbidden scroll. _'I don't intend on even using most of what's in that library until later. I will build my own strength for now. I might learn some of them over time but for now it doesn't matter.' _"Alright, all but five of you. Be gone, or however I get rid of you."

"Dispel works." Said one of the clones before it dispelled along with four others.

"Hm. So I get their memories. Later I'm going to have to experiment with what I can do with these clones. Alright you five that are left, go see what you can find on Kakashi Hatake. I want to know as much about him as possible. Also, get any information you can on the Uzumaki and their home. Don't bother taking the documents. Just read them. I'll know. But bring me the information you find of the Uzumaki."

They clasped their right fists over their hearts and their left arms behind their backs in a salute they had created. "Hai!" they said in unison before taking off.

'_Well, I could get used to this. Things are changing. But I think it's time I plan for something important. I say there's a four- no make that three percent chance of it happening, but I never thought that the Third would deceive me. I should plan for it just in case.' _He thought to himself before he took a folder and wrote one word, betrayal, on the first page and two words, **Winter Contingency**, on the cover before putting it down on his new desk. Things were definitely about to change.

**Alright. What do you think? Any and all feedback is good, so long as it is not overly rude. If you don't like something tell me. I'm trying to do a great job here and I can't do that if I don't know what I'm doing wrong. The next chapter will be the bell test and hopefully at least most of the wave ark. That might change. Until next time.**


	4. Waves Start and Shadows Emerge

**[A/N] Alright, I'm in the process of trying to find a beta reader. Other than that the next chapter is out. Thank you for reading so far. I don't own Naruto or any other material I use. Also, I actually went through some research on the Uzumaki as well as Uzushigakure. Granted, there is not a whole lot of information on wiki because not a whole lot was ever confirmed. So I will be creating some more in depth information for plot. Also, just for part of this story, I looked it up and found that the exchange rate is 10 ryo (Naruto money) = 1 yen. 101.54 yen = 1 U.S. Dollar. Granted, the fact that a five dollar item to me would be more than someone earns from a D-rank which is 7000 times less than Asuma Sarutobi had for his bounty, I have instead decided to treat a ryo as a completely different unit of a different money system. This is because I don't feel like doing this math when I want to measure out how much something costs, and because I don't want to do any more research on all of this, just please go along with my prices.**

**D-ranks pay out between five thousand and fifty thousand ryō.**

**C-ranks pay out between thirty thousand and 100 thousand ryō.**

**B-ranks pay out between 150 thousand and 200 thousand ryō.**

**A-ranks pay out between one hundred fifty thousand and a million ryō.**

**S-ranks pay out more than a million ryō. (I looked these up)**

**That is why I will be changing the cost of things because I don't know what a yen buys and don't feel like doing the math again later. And yes, I did all this even though it might never matter again. Why? Because I felt like it.**

Naruto had only had the clones for around 30 hours but already he was using them to their greatest ability. While he slept he had them reading over the information they had gathered on the Uzumaki. While the information they found on Kakashi before they returned was extremely interesting, the memories he woke up to were even more so. Uzushiogakure was the home of the Uzumaki clan and the hidden village of the Land of Whirlpools and was also known as the Hidden Eddy Village or the Village Hidden by Whirling Tides. While Uzumaki was a common name on the large island that made up the Land of Whirlpools, only the Uzumaki clan that made up most of the population had the gift of longevity as well as some of their other gifts.

The clan were distant relatives of the Senju and this had helped solidify their good ties with Konoha. Mito Uzumaki, who was a prime example of their long life, had been the wife of the Shodaime Hokage. It was right around the time that his mother was brought there that the Land of Whirlpools had been destroyed. There wasn't much more information there about it but what interested Naruto the most was that sometime during the battle on the island a seal was activated that dispersed a massive wave that for all intents and purposes killed everyone still on the island and around it before a dome like barrier appeared and blocked off the massive island. However a few of the Uzumaki clan were able to survive and scattered across the lands.

He would have to see what he could find in the library later in order to see if it would help him. Who knows? Maybe his ancestral home could one day become truly important once again. For now it was time to head out. It was two and a half hours after their sensei said to meet him, but he was sure that the man would take even longer than him. Besides he would see him at the memorial stone he was going to stop by on the way. It was in the man's file.

When he walked up to the memorial stone he instantly saw Kakashi. When he got close the man noticed him and turned around. "What are you doing here Naruto? Aren't you supposed to be at the training ground?"

"Did you really think that after your stunt yesterday I would believe you were late because you got lost on the road of life? Not likely. It's why I also ate breakfast. I'd rather puke than be too hungry to do whatever we are doing. Though I doubt that you were serious about it."

"Hm…you surly are smarter than your file said. Alright, but why come here? I've never seen you here before."

"Well, now that I'm a ninja its time I started paying respect to those who gave me the chance to get this far."

"That is wise." Kakashi said as he noticed Naruto brushing over one name in particular. "Why are you brushing that name in particular Naruto?"

"He's the Yondaime. Without him getting rid of the kyuubi I wouldn't be here and this village would have fallen a long time ago." He spoke calmly.

"Alright, head over to the training ground. Il be over there soon."

"Sure." He said walking away. Just before he left he spoke. "Oh, and if you take more than thirty minutes to get over there I'm going to make you wish your habit was to be early."

"Oh, and how are you going to back that up?"

"Well remember that time when all the ANBU couldn't stop scratching themselves?"

"Yes." Kakashi responded, dreading where this was going.

"Itching powder in all of their bathing items, cloths including their underwear, and their masks. It was tricky but not difficult."

Kakashi was now afraid. All of his cloths he could handle. But his masks? That would be trouble. Without trying to sound scared he tried to play it off. "Don't worry. Il be there."

Naruto smirked knowing he had hit a nerve when he mentioned the masks. "I'll be waiting." He said before he walked off.

When he walked out of the bushed and onto the training ground he heard a loud, "You're late!"

Sasuke and Sakura had gotten there forty-five minutes ago.

"Well, I'm here now. Sensei will be here within the next thirty minutes." He said.

"How would you know that?" Sakura asked.

"Call it….intuition." Naruto said with a wicked grin.

Before they could respond he put plugs into his ears to cancel the noise and opened his book. Later on, just before Naruto hit thirty minutes Kakashi walked out of the bushes.

"You're late!" Sakura yelled. Naruto sighed because he couldn't hurt Kakashi, and Sasuke had gotten over it.

"Well my new team, it's time for your test." He said as he pulled out two bells and a clock. "Your task is to take these bells from me before noon. It's already nine so let's hurry up. You have three hours. Whoever doesn't get a bell gets tied to a post while the rest of us eat. And you also fail, leading you to be sent back to the academy."

"But sensei, there are only two bells." Sakura said.

"Very astute. That is because at least one of you will fail." He said with another weird eye-smile.

All but Naruto were shocked. _'We're being played.' _Naruto thought to himself. Now the only job I have is to make the others see it. "Get on with it!" Naruto said.

"You sure sound cocky Naruto. You're going to need to come at me with the intent to kill in order to beat me."

"You might be a jonin, but I killed Mizuki-teme without much trouble."

"Fine, begin." The moment the words left his mouth Sasuke and Sakura disappeared. _'Well at least they have that down.' _He thought before he noticed Naruto still standing there. "You know you should be hiding right."

"No, I'm supposed to get those bells. Hiding from an enemy when I have a limited time to retrieve an object is counterproductive. Now, if I need to come at you with the intent to kill, then perhaps I should do what I did to kill Mizuki." He said before preforming a hand seal causing several hundred copies to appear.

"Uh….don't you think that's a bit much Naruto?" Kakashi asked

His only response was, "Hold him down." Instantly the clones rushed all at once. _'They were weaker clones' so I can actually do that. He's a jonin so it might not have mattered. That and his sharingan. If he needs to he will use it. Time to get going.' _He thought before taking off through the trees.

While he was trying to find his team mates his sensei had his hands full. For each clone he kicked away or punched in the face another appeared. _'I can't use my kunai because I can't even tell which one is the real one. Crap' _he thought before lifting his hitai-ate to reveal his sharingan.

'_What?!' _Sasuke shouted in his mind. _'How does he have that? He's not an Uchiha. Who did he take that from?!' _

Back to the fight Kakashi was freaking out. They all had the same amount of chakra. The Hokage told him that Naruto learned a new jutsu from the scroll but something like this was purely unheard of. Not to mention the sheer number of them had to be impossible. However Kakashi didn't have time to think as he focused on dispelling the clones. He quickly kicked one in the face before picking one up by the arm and using it to knock away five others.

While Kakashi had his hands full Naruto was about to get Sasuke to help him.

"Hey there Sasuke." Naruto said looking over the Uchiha's shoulder. Said Uchiha nearly had a heart attack.

"Naruto!?" He said clutching where his heart was. "What the hell are you doing here? Aren't you out there?"

"Three hundred clones and you thought I would be among them? No, I'm here to tell you the true purpose of this test."

"What do you mean the true purpose?"

"We were already promoted. That's why we have these hitai-ate. This is a test. I believe they are testing our ability to work together."

"So what, if we fail we aren't going back to the academy?"

"No that part is true. We just need to complete the actual test. Not this bell crap. But to do that we need to get Haruno and make our whole team. Understand?"

"What if you are lying to make sure you get a bell?"

"If I was do you think I would need you? I could make more clones. Even if I did need you would you rather work with me or Haruno? You stand everything to gain from working with me. Look at him. I might take him down before time runs out but, but do you honestly think you can say the same? Look at him. That is Kakashi Hatake of the Sharingan. The man who copied one thousand jutsu. I'll tell you what I know later, but for now I need you to help me. Can you do that?"

Sasuke nodded. He didn't have much choice. Naruto made to good a point.

"Good, now let's find Haruno. More than half the clones are gone, so we don't have much time." Naruto said as they took off to look for the pink haired girl. By the time they found her the clones were down to seventy. However, with Sasuke there it wasn't hard to convince her to join. Now all that was left was to plan how to take down Hatake. Naruto took care of that.

Once they were done with that they quickly surrounded Kakashi as he finished the last clone. _'Well, they only have twenty minutes left. Not long. But just that one put me to work. I almost can't breathe.'_ He thought as he was breathing heavily.

However he didn't have much time to rest before he heard someone yell, "**Katon: Fire Ball Jutsu!**" It was not hard for Kakashi to decide he should move. As he went to move to his right away from the nearby river, shuriken came flying at him from the woods forcing him to move closer to the river. But while he was still in the air twenty-five Naruto clones came out of the water and jumped him. He quickly escaped by using the kawarimi to replace himself with a clone. He didn't expect them all to instantly stop fighting and stand up.

"Well, you lose sensei." One of the clones said before they all dispelled.

Before Kakashi could respond her heard clapping and turned around to see Naruto with the bells at his right hip. When he looked down his own were gone. "Well Naruto, you win. There are still a few seconds for you to make sure one of the others get a bell."

"You and I both know that was never the purpose of this test. Come on out!" Naruto yelled before Sasuke and Sakura Came out of the trees with a smirk and a confident smile respectively.

"Alright team, fine, you pass. You were able to see that the true purpose of the test was teamwork. This is important because anyone who breaks the rules are trash. But I'm here to tell you that those who abandon their teammates are worse than trash. Now, meet me here tomorrow and we shall begin training and taking missions." It didn't take long for his team to leave him there. _'Well, that Naruto really is different from the report I got. He is smart, strong, and quick to act. He used those clones as a distraction before gathering his team and convincing them to work with each other. Once he did that he had Sasuke and Sakura push me to the river where his clones jumped me. While I was distracted, and before I could replace myself, he came from behind the tree and took the bells. The moment I got out the clones stopped because I had already lost. This will be interesting.'_

*break*

It was now three days after the bell test and Naruto was tired from a day of D-rank missions. He hated to admit it, but Shikamaru was right. They were troublesome. However, he was now on his way to Ichiraku's to eat with and talk to his friends. When he got there they were already waiting on him and had ordered for him.

"Naruto, you finally made it. How're things going with your team?" Anko asked.

"Fine. However, I almost killed that cat." Was his response.

"Yeah, you and everyone else in this village." Hinata said, holding her head as if just talking about that cat brought on a migraine. Instantly the others followed suit.

"Well, when we're done here there's something you need to know." Naruto said. He was trying to suppress his laughter.

Ichiraku Ramen (Naruto sized meal) = 450 ryo.

The amount Sasuke pays Naruto to help him hide from fan girls = 5500 ryo per week.

Their faces when he tells them about his parents…..PRICELESS!

"What is it Naruto?" Shino asked.

"I'll tell you when were done. All four of us are going for a walk."

"Whatever, once we get done he pays for all of our diners and then tells us and it fine." Anko said, smirking.

"Let's slow down Anko, I can barely afford my own food." Naruto said trying to sound pathetic, even though he knew he had the almost bottomless account of the Yondaime Hokage.

"Why do I get the feeling I'm going to want to kill you later?" Anko asked, pulling out her wallet.

"Trust me, you would miss me too much."

"He has a point." Shino said.

*break*

Naruto was now standing in front of his friends with his arms stretched to the side theatrically in his library watching his friends gawk at what they were seeing and what they had just learned.

"So…..How long have you know that you were the inheritor of one of the greatest legacies of the shinobi world?" Anko forced herself to speak.

"Four days ago. And how about that, your faces are priceless." Naruto responded as he started chuckling.

"Naruto, do you realize t-that with this and your kage-bunshin you c-could learn all of this within the next couple of years?" Hinata asked.

"Of course. However, I have decided to leave most of what's in here alone for the time being."

"Why would you do that?!" Anko nearly yelled. "Are you insane?!"

"No. However, if I were to start learning things from the library of the Yellow Flash it might draw attention. I can't afford that right now. I do intend on learning some of these things over time, but if I learned enough I wouldn't be able to stop myself from using it and it would expose who I am. And besides. I already told the third that I would keep this in my inner circle. I can't have this getting out."

"He does have a point." Shino said. "While the Hiraishin and the Rasengan were his signature jutsu, there were many techniques for which the Yondaime was known for. Granted, your Kage-Bunshin were also used by him. They were also created by the Nidaime and used by a few people. However, I'm sure that on the scale Naruto uses them not many will be thinking about the Yondaime's use of them"

"Yes, even though others used them, like Jiraiya of the sannin uses the Rasengan and the Nidaime Tobirama invented the Hiraishin, it would still stand out if another person used these. They aren't exactly easy to hide. That, and the Hiraishin would take a long time to learn, even for me. The only people who the Yondaime ever taught this jutsu need to focus together to use it. Their knowledge is worthless when they are separated and don't have the time to get into position."

"S-So, what are you going to do now?" Hinata asked.

"I'm going to ask that you all take this secret to your graves unless I die or tell you its fine. This, my friends, is the mark that I truly trust you. You have stayed with me even when I revealed my curse. I have looked into your eyes and seen only that you are my friends and I can count on you. Now, tomorrow I intend to get my first C-rank, so I must say good-night because I'm going to need my rest, and good-by in case I don't see you before I leave."

"How would you know you're going to get a C-rank?" Shino asked. "You have only been on duty for three days."

"Because, other than tomorrow, if I have to catch that cat one more time I'm going to use its pelt to make a new cap. Now, good-night." Naruto said as they left.

*break*

"Good, that's another one done for today. Now let's see here. We have painting a fence, catching Tora the cat-"

"No! No more will I catch that stupid cat. If I have to do it again I'll use its pelt to make a cap." The Hokage knew he was serious. "How about you stop with the chores and give us a real mission."

"Naruto, you can't just demand a C-rank. You've only been a genin for four days."

"No Iruka, Naruto here took down a chunin on his own. If he thinks his team is ready then let's give it to him. Come on in." The Hokage said as Iruka tried to protest.

The client who walked in was Tazuna. The man was obviously on his way to being drunk. "What's this? A scare-crow, a duck-haired emo, a fan-girl, and a runt. What king of protection is this?"

Naruto was the first to speak. "The kind that can still kill you before you can blink in thirty-two different ways and still have time to keep your hat from touching the floor." The bridge builder shuddered before remembering that they couldn't touch him, they were his protection.

"Look here kid, you job is to protect me until my bridge is complete. You understand that?"

"Oh… so my C-rank is to protect a drunk bridge builder from, what, the alcoholics anonymous?"

You could see the sparks flying as they glared at each other. "That is super bridge builder to you, and you will be protecting me from bandits and thieves. Meat me at the South gate in one hour." The 'super' bridge builder said as he walked out the door.

"Well, for meeting the client of my first C-rank that was really anti-climactic." Naruto said causing everyone to face-palm at his remark.

*break*

It was time for Naruto to make good on his word and help Sasuke. Naruto had long ago figured out what Itachi meant due to Sasuke's behavior. They still had forty-five minutes before they had to meet the bridge builder and Naruto was going to use them. Sasuke was currently standing on one of the many roofs of Konoha and Naruto walked up next to him as he was finally noticed.

"What do you want dole?"

"Only to talk. We are on the same team now so I may as well go ahead and get it over with."

"No, just because we are on the same team does not mean we need to talk. All you need to do is stay out of my way."

"Had I stayed out of your way you would have failed the bell test." Naruto taunted.

"Grr. Is there something specific you want?!" Sasuke said, getting angry.

"Look Sasuke, were going to need to work together in the near future, so we might as well get to know each other. Besides, as much as I hate to admit it, the client was right. You do act broody."

"Shut up! What do you know of it?! I had everything taken from me! I need to get stronger and I don't need your stupidity getting in my way!"

"Do you think you and I are so different? You and I both know the pain of being alone."

"Our pain is nothing alike! I had everything ripped away from me, by my own brother no less! You never had anything! You don't know my pain!"

"How we wound up alone is important, but be both know its sting. Besides, I could one day know your pain. That pain of losing everything. But what you fail to realize is that you could never know my pain. You were right, I never had anything. You at least knew your family. I will never have that luxury. My pain, will always remain un-known to you." Naruto's words shocked Sasuke. He had never thought of it like that. When he looked at Naruto he had always seen someone who at least didn't know the pain of losing everything, someone who could never know his pain. But in reality, it was the other way around. "Now that I have opened your eyes to how wrong you truly were, what will you do?" Naruto said just before he took off. He needed to pack a scroll. He couldn't help shaking the feeling that this trip was going to be important.

*break*

They had been walking along their road for a while now and had yet to run into trouble. While Naruto and Sakura was walking on Tazuna's sides, Kakashi was walking in the back, and Sasuke was walking ahead while deep in though. As they walked past a puddle, the only two who took note of it were Naruto and Kakashi. They said nothing as they passed deciding to let it play out but Naruto gave Kakashi a small hidden signal.

Once they were passed the two brothers hiding in the genjutsu, Meizu and Gozu, emerged getting ready to attack. They quickly took down Kakashi with the chain between their gauntlets.

"One down!" They said at the same time.

"Four to go!" They shouted as they rushed Naruto.

Before they got to close Naruto quickly made several dozen clones.

"Ha! You think those will stop us?!" They continued rushing, shrugging off their surprise at seeing this jutsu, that had not been used by many since the Yondaime, used on such a scale.

They quickly tore through them before stabbing Naruto in the stomach.

"AAAAHHHHH!" Naruto yelled with pain on his face. The missing-nin were about to continue before Naruto instantly stopped and looked at them smiling. "Gotcha!" He said before dispersing.

"Bunshin?!" They yelled before everything went black.

In reality, while they tore through the clones the real one had a clone stand where he was and snuck behind them to knock them out from behind. As Naruto tied them up to a tree Kakashi came out of the trees shocking all but Naruto as the others looked to a torn up log.

"Good job Naruto." Kakashi said with another weird eye-smile. "Same to you as well Sasuke and Sakura. Your immediate reaction was to guard Tazuna in the event that Naruto failed. Good thinking." However, he turned serious as he looked at Tazuna. "Why were they after you?"

"What do you mean?" Tazuna asked nervously, trying to play it off.

"They took me out but none of you are of any importance to actually go after."

Naruto saw the desperation in the man's eyes. He took pity. "Kakashi, perhaps the fact that we are ninja showed that Tazuna has money. You need money to hire ninja. That, and even ninja get decent wages just for D-ranks. Killing all of us would be a good take for any bandits. These ones simply bit off more than they could chew and acted arrogantly. There is no reason to blame Tazuna for their stupidity."

Tazuna visibly relaxed. "Yes, that must be it."

"Of course Naruto, That must be it." Kakashi said with another eye-smile. _'So, you're taking pity on him? I hope you know what you're doing Naruto. Any mistake could get us killed. These were missing-nin. Not to mention that they were last seen with Zabuza. I have a bad feeling.'_ "Alright, well, I'll send a messenger bird to tell Konoha that these two are here. Let's keep moving."

When they were gone a dark figure immured from the forest. The figure wore a dark, black, and tattered cloak that covered the figures features, keeping anything about him from being seen. The figure walked up to the two tied up missing-nin. After crouching down in front of them the figure took off their masks to reveal scared faces. A gloved hand emerged from his right sleeve and reached into a hidden pocket. When his hand came back out it held a small vial filled with a greyish liquid and a stopper on it. After removing the stopper he waved the vial in front of their noses. No reaction. After stoppering the vial and putting it back away the figure spoke.

"Wake up!" His voice was slightly deeper than usual. It was calm yet carried an air of commanded authority. It had a quality that was not soft but fluid, yet he spoke like a man who had conquered places before and was not afraid to do it again. However there was still no reaction. Sigh*. He grabbed Meizu by the collar of his shirt with his right hand and his left emerged before the palm positioned just in front of his face. In quick succession slapped him back and forth across the face. It didn't take long before the man was awake.

"What the-?! What's going on?!"

"One moment." The figure said before doing the same to Gozu.

Once he was awake he had a similar reaction to his brother. Once they were awake the figure moved their masks back over their faces.

"Who are you?" Gozu asked.

"That depends on you."

"What do you mean?" This time from Meizu.

"First off, only one of you will talk. Choose now."

The two brothers shared a look before Gozu spoke up. "I'll speak for us."

"Good. Now, depending on how you respond to the things I say I will either be the man who leaves you here to be taken by Konoha recovery ninja, or I will be your new employer."

"Why?"

"Because, you have been able to alive for this long with just you two, and Zabuza. I respect the fact that this means you are not weak. I have other reasons, but for now all you need to know is that I would like you to join me."

"And if we refuse?"

"I leave you here, tied to a tree."

Once again the brothers shared a look. "Will we learn more about what you need us for once we join you?"

"Of course. And as payment for loyalty, I will help you do what got you branded missing-nin. I'll help you finish the war in Kiri. I want it to end as well. Having you on my side fits my interests."

"When can we expect your help in that matter?"

The war won't end any time soon without my intervention. I promise that my intervention will end it a great deal sooner."

"How do we know you don't mean to help the Mizukage?"

"Because his mind is currently not his own, and the man who controls him is a man I want dead."

They could hear his voice take on an undertone that promised death to those who crossed him.

Once again they shared a look. This time however, they took longer and could be heard whispering to each other. However, it did not take long before they both looked at the figure.

"We accept our new employment."

The figure pulled out a small blade and positioned it to cut their bindings.

"Are you sure? I will not tolerate cowards or traitors." He spoke ominously.

The two brothers quickly nodded before the figure cut the ropes. He smiled.

"Good."

**[A/N] Another chapter down. I hope I'm keeping you on the edge of your seats with this ending. The introduction of a new character. Man, I cannot wait to get the next chapter out. HAHAHA! I really hope to start putting more time between each update so I don't post too often. I don't want get writer's block and have nothing to post during that time. Anyways. What do you think about this character? What role do you think he will play? HAHAHAHA! OH! And before I forget. I am not good with choosing names. Even though I do have a small list of names to use for my OCs, I would be grateful if you could put some suggestions in your reviews, or PM me. It will help, and I value your input on my story. Tell me what I do wrong and tell me what I do right. I will try to make changes accordingly. Not to mention that this is a much longer chapter than before. One review said chapters were short and I agreed, so I'm going to also try and make them longer. I hope to fit the wave ark and chunin exams in, but that might change. I'm Averell Torrent, see you next time. Until then.**


	5. Ending A Wave and Knowing Contingencies

**[A/N] Well, this one came out later than the others and for that I apologize. However, it is longer than the others so there is that. The ideas are currently there in my head, but I am having a little trouble giving life and flesh to these ideas. I'm glad I got the first few out so quickly. However, I hope to get a schedule up so I can start getting them out on a set timeline. But hopefully I should still get them out quickly. On a final note, I intend on also working on another idea that has been in my head so as to start righting another fanfic. Don't worry as this one will still be my main priority and should still get more out on time. Also, I had a concern that the OC in the last chapter would be a Gerry Stu. That is not the case. He will be important later but will not take on the main character position. I simply hope to use the character effectively in the future. Thanks for reading so far. I don't own Naruto or anything else. Now I give you the fifth chapter. **

Naruto was currently sitting in a clearing near Tazuna's home. During the fight with Zabuza Naruto had allowed Sasuke to take point and they worked together to free Kakashi. Once he was out of the water prison he proceeded to fight Zabuza before incapacitating him against a tree. That was when the false hunter-nin showed up and took him. After he woke up Kakashi revealed how the hunter-nin had to be fake because of him taking the body instead of destroying it. Now that Kakashi could not travel it was not difficult to convince the group that all that was left was to finish the job even though it was now an A-rank. This was also because the others took pity once the situation in wave was explained. When Kakashi could walk with crutches he took them out to train in tree walking so they could stand a better chance by proceeding in their advancement. After a day of this, Sasuke and Naruto hade only made it half way up the tree but Naruto had stayed behind while the others went back to eat supper.

Now with Naruto sitting in this clearing that was only lit by the dim light provided by the moon on a night without clouds, Naruto starts to truly train. I didn't take long for the clearing to be full of Naruto's clones. "Alright, pick a tree and start climbing. We are short on time and I want this done as quickly as possible." The original spoke before the clones all took off. While the clones were training for him he pulled a scroll from his pocket and unsealed it to find a small stack of scrolls containing jutsu. Naruto already knew which one he was grabbing as he took one from the stack and opened it. Naruto had two jutsu on his list that were mandatory to learn. One was the shunshin. The other was not really a jutsu so much as a technique left behind by his ancestors. From what little information there was about the technique before how to actually use it, not many had ever actually been confirmed to use this ability. In all reality it was like a kekkei genkai that was usually never unlocked. While it had emerged in some few ever actually used it or even had the ability to. However, for some reason any of the Uzumaki clan who was the container of the kyuubi had been able to use it. Some believed it was because of their necessity should the beast ever escape.

However, for the time being he put that one to the side believing that for now he shouldn't use it and therefore learning was only a distraction he didn't need right now. He opened his scroll for the shunshin and started practicing. It was not a difficult jutsu to learn. Mastering it was another matter altogether. It put strain on the body that could only come from moving at such speeds for too long. However, do to his vast chakra reserves, learning it took time, but while mastering it would take time he could use it adequately for the time being. It wasn't until he could use it though that he realized he heard someone calling his name. Looking around he realized that he had been doing this all night and most of the morning. Not wanting to be caught he dispersed all of the clones still active. _'Crap that hurts. I'm going to need to learn how to moderate my brains intake of the memories all at once.' _He thought to himself as the rest of his team came into the clearing.

"Hm…Have you been training all night Naruto?" Kakashi asked.

"Yes. We are limited on time. I can rest when it gets closer to the time Zabuza will come back. But for now I need to get as much done as I can."

"Well, that definitely seems important, but did your night of no sleep yield results?"

"Of course." Naruto responded before walking up to a tree and proceeding up it as if he was simply taking a morning walk.

"Well that didn't take long. Sasuke you should get it by the end of the day. Naruto, are you familiar with the water walking technique? It would seem you and Sakura are ahead so I can teach it to you." Kakashi said. He needed to build them as fast as he could. Naruto was right, there was not a whole lot of time.

"I have heard of it. However I must say no, I have other things to take care of." Naruto replied before taking off.

"Sensei what was Naruto talking about?" Sakura spoke up.

"I'm not too sure myself, but I'm sure he will be fine." Kakashi replied. In reality he was worried. He knew next to nothing about this student Naruto but here he was with the boy under his command. He needed to talk to the third about this if they made it back.

*break*

It had been a few days since Zabuza had escaped and Naruto was not resting. While the others were learning the water walking technique, he was sleeping in a small clearing. He had exhausted himself last night from experimenting with his clones and their abilities. While he had some of the continuing to practice with the shunshin, he was working on controlling how much he could alter the clones and what he could make them do. He discovered that so long as they didn't take much damage then they could even bleed. For a moment before he passed out he had been working on something else as well but could no longer maintain it before losing consciousness.

However that was at the moment irrelevant as a hand was shaking him awake. When he opened his eyes he saw someone there that was androgynous in appearance.

"You could catch a cold if you stayed out here like this."

"Hm? Who are you?"

"I'll tell you that if you help me pick these herbs."

*break*

"Thank you for helping out. My name is Haku."

"It was no problem, and my name Is Naruto."

"So what are you doing out here so early?"

"I'm training."

"I see, so are you a ninja?"

"Yes."

"So why are you training? You look strong already."

"Because I need to become stronger. I must train so that I can one day become respected by my village and gain the acknowledgment that has no long been denied me. I will make my village see who I truly am."

"Tell me, do you have someone important to you?" Naruto did not miss the look in here eye. "When someone has something to protect, that, is when they become truly strong."

"I know what you mean. I do have people that I will one day fight beside. And if the need ever arises I will be thee to protect them. My friends. Naruto sighed. "May I ask you a question?" Haku looked at him in confirmation. "I ask because I would like it if you don't over-react to what I am about to say." His response was a nod. "What you said about becoming strong through having something to protect…Is that why you helped Zabuza?" Naruto's response was Haku stiffening. He was trying to hear what Naruto said before taking action.

"How did you know?"

"My life has not been completely pleasant. Over the years my hearing become good enough for me to tell what board in my home had how much pressure. I recognized your voice."

He nodded. "So what do we do now?"

"I would like to talk."

"Why?"

"Another thing I developed over time is the ability to see certain things in people's eyes. When I mentioned acknowledgment your eyes displayed something similar to longing. When you talked about having something to protect, I saw you go over a memory. I saw the sadness in your eyes. Your past has not been kind to you either."

"Then what do you want to talk about exactly?"

"Well, first I would like to know what brought you to this point. What happened to you?"

His response was for Haku to hold is hand in front of him with the palm upwards. In his hand formed a small shard of ice. "My kekkei genkai brought me to this point." Haku said before telling about the bloodline purge, how he killed his father after he watched the death of his mother, and how Zabuza eventually found him. He told of how Zabuza had taken care of him since he found him.

"So, that is what that look of longing in your eyes was."

"What do you mean?"

"You say that you are nothing more than Zabuza's tool. But that look of…. Admiration, caring…..I would almost say you see him more as a father. That longing was the longing for returned emotion. You wish that Zabuza saw you as family the way you see him."

"No, that's not-"he tried to protest.

"You already gave yourself away. You might not have even realized it before, but I can see it."

"How can you know what you're talking about?"

"Because I have seen much the same look in my own eyes many times before. That look of longing for someone to actually care for you," His face hardened.

"So, what do you intend to do now that you know my story?"

"How would you like to hear mine?"

"Why would you do that?"

"Why would you not kill me when I was asleep? You knew I would be your enemy but you didn't."

"I did it because I have not yet gotten rid of my humanity."

"I will tell you my story because I have not yet gotten rid of mine. There will be some parts I can't tell you seeing as it would bring me no end of trouble if I told you, but I can tell you some of it."

It took time but Naruto explained his story. How he had been attacked, how people had always hated him, how he had eventually found friends he could trust, and even how he had come to learn about his family and why he was hated. What he left out was the part about who his parents were, the kyuubi, and the fact that the grandfather figure he got the information from was the Hokage.

"Now, what will you do now that you know my story?"

"I don't know."

Perhaps you should take my words to heart. You and I are a lot alike. We simply turned out different due to different circumstances. So, I would like it if you gave me the chance to get Zabuza to stop this madness."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean that if he continues down this path there is a strong chance that you two will die. That, and I believe that any time but now you and I could be friends."

Haku smiled. "You truly are different. An enemy stands here and you are trying to make friends out of them. I will try to give you a chance."

"Thank you. And besides, every friend I have is one less person against me. It is also one more person for me to stand beside." Naruto said as he stood up. "By the way, could you tell me how much time I have?"

"Why?"

"I won't tell anyone, I just want to know how long I have to figure out what I'm doing to do. Besides, I also want to make Zabuza my friend."

"Why would you want to do that?"

"Because he is not a bad person. He tried to end a massacre in Mizu no Kuni. I'm interested in the person that would give up his home to try and end something they thought was wrong."

"I am taking a gamble on you Naruto. I hope I can trust you. We will be making our move in two days. Do you honestly think you can help us?"

"Of course. Now, it's time for me to go. I have one last thing to do and not a whole lot of time."

Haku nodded as Naruto disappeared. Things were going to get much more interesting in two days.

*break*

That night the team and family were sitting down at the table eating. Tazuna was asking about how they were going to handle Zabuza when someone spoke up.

"You're all fools. There is no way you can win." Inari said. Their first night there Tazuna had told them about Kaiza.

"What did you say?" Sakura asked.

"I said that you are all fools. There is no way you can beat Gato. You're all going to die."

"Shut up kid." Naruto said. "Of course we will. I have a few things I need to do before I die."

"Shut up, you don't know anything. He's going to kill you just like he did the last hero."

"HAHAHA!" Naruto shouted. "I can see exactly what you're thinking. It's written all over your face. You think that heroes are meaningless if they die. But in all reality it is sometimes the ones that die who mattered the most. You know, our village once was attacked by a monster. Our fourth Hokage managed to defeat it and is still called a hero to this day. Only problem is that he died that day. If you think a hero that dies was worthless than you are and idiot. He won because he knew, understood and accepted one crucial and irrefutable fact. He accepted that he was going to die and still fought because of this fact. This fact is that someone who can't sacrifice anything, can never change anything."

"What would you know, he actually succeeded. The last hero failed and left us alone!"

"That's not true." Naruto said shocking Inari. "His death caused you to say these words that have inspired me. He did not fail. He succeeded in passing on the torch to you Inari. Now I know for a fact that I will stop Zabuza, and" Naruto said his voice suddenly darker. "I will kill Gato." To say everyone was shocked by his words was an understatement. Before they could respond he left.

*break*

The day that Zabuza was supposed to return Naruto had two clones stay at the house just in case. Granted, no one new about them. However, currently Naruto and Sasuke were trapped inside a dome of ice mirrors. When they had first been trapped in there Naruto had given a small signal used to ask for confirmation. His response was a small, barely noticeable nod.

Haku proceeded to start the fight by flashing from mirror to mirror throwing senbon at them. While the fight was meant to not overly harm Naruto, he was not going easy. In order to keep up appearances Naruto kept trying to help Sasuke escape from the dome by creating as many clones as he could at one time I the small space, and having them run to the edge of the barrier, or guard Sasuke. However, in order to help keep Sasuke out of the way Haku used his sebon to knock him out for now.

"Don't worry, I only incapacitated him to keep him out of our way." Haku responded to Naruto's questioning look.

"Alright, now if I'm not mistaken here soon Kakashi will try to end it. That is when we shall intervene."

"And how shall you convince Zabuza that being your friend will be beneficial to him?"

Before he could answer Naruto closed his eyes in contemplation. "One of my clones just dispelled. I was going to use emotion to get through to him and still might. But I managed to get some valuable information. I'll tell you when it comes up."

"Alright, I'll continue to trust you."

"Thank- Time's up. Cancel this jutsu. Our time to intervene is here." Haku nodded and canceled the ice mirrors.

When their vision cleared Kakashi was about to plunge his legendary raikiri into Zabuza's chest.

"Zabuza!" Haku panicked and shunshined in front of Zabuza to shield him. Kakashi was instantly filled with remorse at what he was about to do. However, it was too late to stop. But then he started to panic at what happened next. Naruto had also panicked and shunshined in front of Haku to stop Kakashi. Kakashi was panicking. He was about to kill his student. He couldn't stop. Kakashi was shocked at what happened next to say the least. Naruto reached up and took it as the raikiri went into his hand and tore into his arm before Kakashi stopped moving.

Naruto started grinning. "What…do you know….it worked. Crap this hurts, but it worked." Naruto got out before he moved and pulled away his now useless arm. He started to chuckle. "Haku, you really forced my hand there, I won't lie. But I cannot believe that actually worked. Well, what amazes me even more is that I'm still here. I guess that it worked." He ground out before dispelling in a cloud of smoke. It took all of a second before they heard someone start to scream in pain.

When they all looked towards where Haku and Naruto had come from they saw Naruto kneeling on the ground griping his arm like it would disappear when he loosened his grip. "Biggest down side to shadow clones," Hu growled as he forced himself to stand. "Is that any trauma they experience returns to the user with their memories. This does not include the physical damage but it still hurts." He grimaced now that he was standing. The pain was starting to fade. He was used to some physical pain and it tended to disperse relatively quickly for him. Those idiots back in the village were useful for something.

"Hey, Zabuza. I need to talk to you when this is all over, but first… release your hidden mist technique and you will find what I'm about to tell you to be truth. Gato is here. He never intended on paying you. As a matter of fact, he is actually here to kill you."

"What?! How would you know that?!" Zabuza yelled?

"I had two clones stay back at Tazuna's. Gato sent two thugs to take them hostage. When my clones questioned them one dispersed. I got the information telling me that Gato is on his way here right now. So I think it is safe to say that you don't need to kill Tazuna anymore. However, when this is all over I would like to talk to you. Do you understand?"

"Fine, I owe you that much. Since I'm not wounded I still have the energy to kill the midget."

"Sorry Zabuza, that will be my privilege, I already made a promise on that."

"Whatever, how about we just leave it to the one who gets him first."

"Deal."

Kakashi finally decided to get in on the conversation. "Naruto what is going on?"

"I will explain all the details later Kakashi, but for now Zabuza is not our enemy." Kakashi nodded.

"Hey," Zabuza said. "You will be filling me in on those details to. You can do it during this talk." Zabuza continued while releasing his technique. While he was doing that Sakura was trying to figure out what the hell was going on while keeping the bridge builder out of the way. Kakashi decided to do what he had done since this mission started, just go with it and ask the Sandaime later, before getting into is battle position. Zabuza decided to do something similar to what Kakashi had done. Finally, while Naruto was walking up to join them Haku looked at him giving a nod and also getting into position.

When the mist cleared it was still semi-misty due to the natural mist. However, the group was still able to see Gato and a small army of thugs. Gato was in disbelief when the mist cleared to show that they were ready for him instead of killing each other.

"Zabuza, what are you doing? You're supposed to be taking care of them."

"From what I know those thugs behind you are for me. You never intended to pay me."

Gato smirked. "Correct. You cost too much. I paid all of them total the amount you were demanding. And I'll get the same results. Kill them."

Within a second of those words leaving Gato's mouth Naruto was upon them with Zabuza, Haku, and Kakashi following suit. Naruto quickly drew his kunai and aimed for their legs and arms. He killed Mizuki but he was not ready to just start killing anyone in his way. He quickly dodged a sword that was coming down towards his head and cut the man's forearm before knocking him out.

While Naruto was doing this Kakashi and Zabuza were not holding back as they quickly ripped apart the thugs without mercy, and Haku paralyzed them with his senbon. However, it was Naruto who in the midst of the fighting got to Gato first. The man started to panic as Naruto approached him, and took the small blade out of his cane. Naruto made short work of disarming the man. Gato decided to play his trump card. Money.

"Wait! Wait, I can give you money, anything you want just let me go!"

"Not today. I already promised that I would kill you. I'll make this quick." Gato tied to crawl away but before he could Naruto gabbed his head. It took all of two seconds as Naruto grimaced from the snap of Gato's neck. He had only done it twice but this was the worst part he could imagine about life. The fact that he would have to kill in the future. The thought almost made him throw up.

It didn't take long before the others incapacitated or killed the rest of the thugs, but once they did they quickly noticed Naruto leaning over Gato's body. When they got closer to him he spoke up. "Alright, Kakashi and Zabuza, I will explain everything after I wake up. My arm is killing me." He got out before collapsing.

*break*

When Naruto woke up he found himself in an unfamiliar room with Kakashi sitting next to him. "How long have I been out and where are we?"

"All day yesterday. It's morning. And Tazuna was happy Zabuza no longer wanted to kill him, but still wanted to keep his distance. So we are currently in Zabuza's Hotel room because Zabuza insisted, and I quote, 'I want answers about what the hell happened from the kid the moment he wakes up.'"

"Alright, let me sit up and I'll talk to them." Once he was sitting up he looked around and didn't see Zabuza. "Where are they?"

"Zabuza is raiding the free breakfast bar, and Haku is trying to keep the management from kicking him out over eating all of their food."

"Alright, understandable." Naruto said before the door burst open and Zabuza ran through it carrying a large stack of mini-muffins and eggs.

"Haku, quick close the door!" Zabuza yelled. "For a free breakfast buffet they get angry once you eat enough." Naruto and Kakashi sweat dropped at the trouble Zabuza had started.

"Alright, sit down Zabuza. I guess it's time I explain what happened." Naruto proceeded to explain how he had talked to Haku and they had planned to stop the fighting because he knew that one or both of the duo would die. It was at this point when Zabuza had explained that Haku had already talked with him about how he viewed Zabuza somewhat as a father figure. Zabuza went on to explain how he had told Haku he didn't know how to respond and had to think.

"So now what?" Zabuza asked. "We aren't trying to kill each other. Are we friends? Do we want to go back to the bridge and finish our fight?"

"That is a great question. Naruto?" Kakashi asked. He was looking at Naruto trying to once again do what he had done all mission, defer to Naruto's judgment on what he didn't feel like getting a migraine over.

"Well, my main goal with all of this was to get another few friends out of this. We have no more reason to fight." They all shared a look. They had their answer. "Well, from what I can tell, you left Mizu no Kuni because of the purge, correct?"

"Yes. I tried to kill the Mizukage to stop what he was doing."

"Well, for now I suggest you lay low here for now. Most everyone who knew you were here are dead or we can ask them to keep quiet. I already have some thoughts I can discus with you later."

"What do you mean?" Naruto looked at Kakashi.

"First, Kakashi, what happened to Sasuke and Sakura while I was out?"

"They are staying at Tazuna's. Sasuke is still unconscious. He should wake up soon though."

"Would you do me a favor and go check on them for me. Ask them not to talk to anyone about Zabuza." Kakashi already knew what was going on. He was not supposed to be a part of this conversation.

"Sure." Kakashi responded before leaving.

"Alright," Zabuza said, "What's this all about?"

"The answer is simple. Give me some time and I can help you out with finishing the war is Mizu."

"How would you do that?"

"You can't get close to where you need to be without some help. Give me some time, and I should be able to give you that help."

"How long are you asking us to wait?"

"I don't know yet. Stay here, help these people recover, get them to accept you. I do promise that I will help you. However, I'm not sure when yet. I'm sure that it will take at least another year before I can do that."

"A year? You want us to wait that long?"

"Look at me. I couldn't even stay standing after yesterday. Give me time. I'm sure that at this point I'm one of the few people who you can trust. Just give me the time to do it. Trust me and you will eventually see the results yourself."

"Grr….Fine, but don't expect me to just sit still."

"I don't, but don't draw attention to yourself."

"Kid, I have to ask, how do you know that you can help us? What are you hiding?"

"That will be revealed in time. But for now I can't tell you that."

"Fine. But I will find out one day."

*break*

It had been a few months since their grand exit from Wave and things for Naruto were advancing quickly. He had gone on several missions and due to them interchanging teams a few times to help with team work when they had to make do with who was available Naruto had even gone on a few missions with Hinata, Shino, and Anko. Over the past few months Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke had gotten closer together. This was mainly because on one mission in particular they had shared a near death experience and bonded over it.

Over time Naruto had gotten stronger. He had learned the family legacy he had with him in wave and had even gone so far as to learn a few spare jutsu. He had convinced Kakashi to teach him the double suicide decapitation jutsu, and had been able to learn some other jutsu that were not particularly special. Granted, he did keep most of his learning secret so as not to draw attention to himself. While he knew that using it would bring no end of trouble he had started to learn his father's Hiraishin because he knew that two clones working on the technique would take a long time to figure it out an therefore didn't worry about it too much.

Another thing he had done was that he had started to train in the kenjutsu scrolls in his family's library. He had found his mother's blade sealed in a scroll. The blade of the katana itself was green with a black line up both sides just above where the actual edge started. The guard was a black Japanese dragon wrapped around itself with small emeralds in the eyes. The pommel was a small gold plating that held another emerald at the tip. Finally the handle of the sword was a contradiction to everything else the blade had been, as it was a deep crimson with the white outline of another dragon curled around the handle. The blade was beautiful and was matched by the diagrams, katas, and practicing instructions Naruto found as they depicted the fluid movements of those who wielded and had mastered the art of kenjutsu. As things currently stood, Naruto's work and skills with the blade had grown to be good but far from great and even further from perfect.

He had also started looking at some of the information from the scroll of seals and realized he had made a good choice in taking its contents. Mizuki most likely was not the first to try and steal it, nor would he be the last. At least it was not as dangerous as it was before. It was amazing, the things he found. In the list of things from the Nidaime there were even notes on his Edo Tensei. It was quite obvious why the scroll was forbidden.

But for Naruto things were moving quickly enough for him. His sensei had told them that that he had registered them for the chunin exams. Now all they had to do was sign the forms he gave them. Yes, things were moving along nicely. He was currently on his way to a dango shop to meet with his friends when he heard someone yelling. Once he got closer he realized that Konohamaru was being held in the air by a boy by the name of Kankuro. Naruto had met Konohamaru before. He had talked some sense into the boy about what it was to truly be seen as himself and not as his grandfather.

He also saw Sakura standing there trying to get Kankuro to let Konohamaru go, but with no success. When Naruto walked up he instantly made the effort to scare said sand ninja.

"Wow, I have never met someone who wanted to start a war before."

"What do you mean?" Kankuro's sister Temari asked.

"Well, that is the Hokage's grandson you have there." Naruto said with a smirk. The two sand ninja were now nervous to say the least.

"Well, let's not jump to conclusions." Kankuro said. He was sweating profusely all of a sudden as he put the boy down. Said boy quickly hid behind Naruto who started to chuckle.

"Calm down. I doubt it will start a war so long as no one makes a big deal about it. And I won't make a big deal about it." Naruto said, trying to ease the tension. However, the tension came back in full force when a red head jumped out of a nearby tree.

"G-Gaara, how long have you been here?"

"Kankuro, Temari. You two are a disgrace to the village." Gaara said not giving them a chance to respond before he turned to Naruto. "Who are you?"

"I could ask the same."

"My name is Gaara and these are my siblings Kankuro and Temari. We are from the hidden sand and are here from the chunin exams."

"My name is Naruto Uzumaki, I live here in Konoha and will also be participating in the chunin exams." Naruto responded.

Gaara gave a small nod. "Perhaps I will see you there." He said before turning and leaving with his siblings.

'_The way they looked at him. Their own brother. There was fear there. Fear and sadness. I have to wonder.' _Naruto thought to himself before saying goodbye to Sakura and Konohamaru and leaving.

He was headed back home. Some things needed to be prepared.

*break*

The Hokage at that moment was also headed to Naruto's home. He needed to talk to the boy. When he got there though, Naruto was not there. The Sandaime thought he might be somewhere and decided to look for him. The last place the Hokage got to was the office. To say that the old man was surprised would have been understatement. While there were papers everywhere they were organized. However, on the desk there were four folders. Each one had something different on the cover. **Spring Contingency**,** Summer Contingency**,** Autumn Contingency**, and **Winter Contingency.**

'_Contingency? What would he be needing to plan for that he needs a contingency?'_ The Third asked while picking up the folder labeled autumn. When he flipped through it though some of what he saw shocked him. _'Why would he need this?'_ He thought as he put it down and picked up the winter folder. His reaction was similar. Many of the pages were blank. This particular contingency was incomplete. But when he got to the final page there was only one sentence that truly terrified the Hokage. He couldn't react before he heard the door close behind him. As he spun around he dropped the folder and saw Naruto standing between him and the door.

"I see you found my plans and decided to take a look at them." Naruto said with no emotion in his voice. "I bet you are wondering what could lead a man to need so many plans. Look around you. All of these are different plans or contingencies. Plans in case other plans go wrong. Plans in case one event happens instead of another. I bet you even wonder why I created the Winter Contingency."

The leader hardened his face. "Why would you need to plan some of those things? I demand you answer me now!"

"You have no right." Naruto said, his hatred and anger pouring into his voice as he radiated killing intent. "Do you know what a contingency is? It is a provision for an unforeseen event that can't be predicted with certainty. Would you like to know why that last one is there? It was on the front page." Naruto said with a smirk as Hiruzen picked the folder back up and looked at the word betrayal on the first page. "That is why. If I am ever betrayed the Winter Contingency is one of the possible outcomes. Even that particular contingency is not guaranteed. It might never truly be put into action. It is simply there because of the small chance that the correct events fall into place, but who knows."

"What you are saying….Naruto do you realize-"

"What I'm talking about? Of course. But like I said it is not yet set in stone. I only plan for the possibility. All great generals have planned for possibilities. Besides, if that one ever gets put into effect it will be your own fault."

"What lead you to even need this plan?"

"You did. You deceived me when I thought you were the only person I could trust. My trust is spread thin as it is. But my hopes are that it is no longer misplaced. Now, I need to sleep so I ask that you leave." The Hokage knew he couldn't argue. He started walking out the door as Naruto opened it for him.

Once the Hokage was gone from his home Naruto returned to his office. To his desk. To his contingencies. He flipped to the last page of the winter contingency and looked at the only sentence. In a way it was just that. Konoha's sentence. Naruto looked at the final sentence with the happiness of a mad man. A part of him wanted nothing more than to act out the contents of this contingency. He read over the one line over and over again. Quickly he stopped remembering the other part of his mind and composed himself.

"One day, I will be here on that day. I will be here on that day. The day when they decide what plan I will use. Because it will be their actions that determine it. They will decide." Naruto said to himself as he closed the folder and turned to leave. He needed to be ready. For everything. He could feel it. Things were about to change. He could feel it in his very core.

*break*

Before the exams had started Naruto had gone to his home and packed a scroll just in case. The scroll contained his weapons including his sword as well as other items that would be needed for varying situations. Naruto had learned some time ago how to seal many things in one seal but pull out certain things at one time. He did all this because he had heard of some of the previous exams and wanted to be prepared.

When they got to the second floor on their way to the test Naruto and his team keep moving. However, as he left he shouted that it was the second floor and that it was nothing more than a trick. Once they got to the correct floor Naruto had them enter at once. Once they were in it didn't take long for them to be noticed.

While the others talked to different people Naruto was talking to Hinata and Shino about something they believed was more important. "Alright, if we have to fight each other later what should we do?"

Shino was the first to speak up in response. "Well, from what I have learned about previous tests there will be a segment where the different teams will need to go against each other and another segment where we will need to go head to head. In the team segment we should work together. It shouldn't be hard to _'convince'_ Kiba to go along with this plan, but getting your team to go along with it will be harder."

"No it won't. All we need to do is convince Sasuke and Sakura will follow suit. My team and I may have grown closer but I have yet to be able to truly change how they see things. All we need to do is make Sasuke believe that this will help him get stronger and the rest should take care of itself." His friends nodded. Now it was time to think about what to do if it came down to fighting each other.

"I think we should just fight but leave out k-killing moves. Fight but stop when we know one of us has won." Hinata said, to which the others nodded. Naruto noticed something going on with the others as a Sound genin had attacked another Konoha genin by the name of Kabuto. However, Naruto decided to ignore it as the first proctor had shown up to start the exam. Things were about to get interesting.

*break*

Naruto had gotten through the first part of the exam without much hassle. He had a clone he made before the exam henge into a fly and copy the answers from an obvious plant. This was another trick. He had a little trouble getting Sakura to stay for the final question but his speech had made inspiring people easy.

Once Anko burst through the window Naruto had to face-palm at her antics. But this is where things got important. The forest of death was the next part of the exam and the goal was to get the opposite scroll before heading to the tower in the middle of the forest. Naruto had been in here plenty of times and knew that having the genin sign wavers was no joke. Things were getting serious.

Once inside he had his team meet up with Hinata and Shino's team. Sasuke's first reaction to seeing them was to get ready for a fight as was Kiba's. However, with Naruto, Hinata, and Shino they never got a chance. They quickly managed to convince Sasuke with the fact that this would get things done and advance him faster. Kiba was convinced when Shino threatened that they would leave him behind with his bugs if he didn't agree. Needless to say he didn't argue long.

While their teams had different scrolls they were able to quickly see the benefit of working together after witnessing Gaara kill a group of Amegakure genin. This was too important to spend time fighting each other. Things were progressing nicely one both teams had their scrolls and they started heading towards the tower. However, once it hit night they decided to stop and sleep inside of a hollowed portion in a tree. They were all to keep watch at different intervals with Naruto taking the first watch.

About half an hour into his watch and Sasuke came out and sat next to Naruto.

"My watch still has another hour-and-a-half. Can't sleep?"

Sasuke nodded. "I wanted to talk to you."

"What about?"

"When we first go put on the same team you helped me open my eyes to the fact that I was just acting better than some people when in all reality my pain is not unique. In this world people have those they care for taken from them every day. It is not exactly once in a life time, but the pain of never having anything is never something I could experience. But your life still has room to lose everything. You could know my pain one day, but I could never know yours."

"That's what I said before. Is there something in particular you wanted to talk about?"

"I wanted to ask you why you tried to get to know me that day. You said that it was because we were on the same team but you never tried to do the same with Sakura."

"The answer is really quite simple. I had a promise to fulfill."

"What do you mean?"

Sigh*. "I also once knew Itachi."

"What did you say?!"

"You heard me. You see, Itachi was once my friend. Back when everyone hated me he was one of the few I trusted. I never imagined he would have committed the Uchiha massacre. You see, that night, just before he left, he came to me and told me good-bye. He also asked me to make sure that I helped you stay on the right path. I don't know what happened that night, but he truly wanted me to help keep you out of darkness."

"All this time... Why? Why would he do that? Why did he ask you to do that?"

"My guess," Naruto said as he stood up, "is that no matter what happened that night, he truly cared for you. Well. Since you're here and want to think I'll let you take over my watch for the time being." Naruto said before taking off into the forest.

'_He left me behind to do his job. Son of a…..'_

With Naruto things were going by him at a massive speed. He was currently just trying to think about what he had said. While he believed he had done the right thing to keep Sasuke out of darkness, he felt like he might have messed up something, like he had changed something that had been planned out for quite some time. However, he was brought out of his musings when he heard someone scream. When he found the source he saw a red headed girl being attacked by a massive bear.

Naruto quickly created several clones and had them do the very simple task of acting like food and luring the bear away from them. With the bear gone Naruto quickly refocused on Karin. Naruto offered his hand to help her up and she didn't take long to accept the help.

'Thank you. I got separated from my team and then that bear attacked me."

"No problem. To be completely honest I was just trying to take a walk and think. By the way, what is your name?"

"My name is Karin."

"Well, if you don't mind me asking, what is your last name?"

"My last name is more of just a clan name so I don't really go by it, but it's Uzumaki."

"Well then Karin," Naruto said getting rid of his surprise and gaining a smile, "I think our clan might truly be rising once again."

"W-what do you mean by that?" She asked. She was surprised at his answer.

"Well my name is Naruto Uzumaki, and I intend on one day going back to our home."

"T-That's not possible. All the Uzumaki were wiped out!"

"If that were so, then how are you here? I wonder who told you that. There were survivors, but they were scattered across the world after Uzushiogakure's destruction."

'Wait, I was also told that members of the Uzumaki clan have red hair."

"Yes, that is true. However, basic biology will tell you that my hair is from my father. My mother was, in fact, an Uzumaki who came to Konoha shortly before the Land of Whirling Tides was destroyed."

Karin nodded. It made sense, and it was completely possible. But then she asked a question. "So now that we know we are from the same clan, what do we do now?"

"Well, I would say that you should make your way to the tower. You can't find your team and I wouldn't say you're going to survive to long on your own out here. You won't pass the exam but you should go ahead and make your way there. I'll keep you company."

"But what about your own team?"

"Don't worry." Naruto said as he created a clone to make sure she got there. "Just wait. Eventually I'll figure out what to do." Naruto said before waving good-bye and taking off. He had found a member of his clan. He was going to one day try to find some of them but he never expected to have one just show up like this so early on. Who knows, maybe his ancestral home wasn't as far from rebuilding as he thought.

*break*

To say that Naruto was not happy about today's turn of events would be an understatement. He was downright pissed. First Orochimaru had shown up and distracted Naruto with one of his snake summons that he quickly dealt with while using several hundred clones. Once he was done with that he quickly ran back to join his friends. Once he got there it didn't take long for him to be knocked out after Orochimaru commented on how he was little more than a pest. As a last ditch effort Naruto had tried to use his sword. However, when Orochimaru used his own he was able to out maneuver Naruto and land the hit that knocked him out. When he woke up he found that Sasuke had forced the Sound team to retreat after having woken up with strange tattoos all over his body. To make matters worse, once he was done Sasuke had once again become unconscious. Now Naruto was carrying him as they were heading to the tower.

"Will someone explain to me again why I'm carrying him?!"

"You only just woke up from a nap. Stop complaining." Sakura responded. I was as she said this that the tower finally came into view.

'_Finally, now I can find out some information about Orochimaru and what he did to Sasuke. Time to call in another guilt trip from the Hokage. I can't keep doing it forever, but for the time being he can't keep any important details away from me.'_ Naruto thought to himself.

**[A/N] What will happen next? Will you finally find out why Naruto was in that cell at the beginning? What is Naruto planning with his four contingencies? What was that last sentence Naruto was smiling about? Find out next time on Dragon Ba- I mean this Naruto fanfiction. Also, you read that in the dragon ball z voice. Disclaimer, I do not own the dragon ball z announcer voice.**

**Actual authors note. If you didn't like how I kept Haku and Zabuza alive tell me, then I will try to go back and make it better with any ideas. However, that was the best I could think of because I wanted them alive but at least I gave a reason for them to still be alive. Anyways, give me a few more days and chapter six will be out. **


	6. Casting Off Fate and Finding a Godaime

**[A/N] Alright, so I didn't finish the chunin exams in the last chapter. I decided to stop it right after the end of the forest of death because I didn't want to make it too long all at once and I wanted to get it out there when I did. Anyways, today I am most definitely going to finish the invasion arc and hopefully the search for Tsunade arc will at the very least be started. I don't own Naruto, yada yada yada, I don't own the other material, yada yada yada, enjoy the chapter, yada yada yada.**

Naruto was currently standing in front of the Third Hokage himself. Once they had made it into the tower they had confirmed that they were done and had gotten Sasuke to the medics so as to make sure that he was fine. No one could do anything about the seal on Sasuke's neck as it was to complex and integrated. While everyone was taking time off at the tower and waiting for everyone else to finish, Naruto had made a clone to hold his place while he went to talk to the Hokage.

As he stood there the Sandaime was getting increasingly nervous about Naruto's presence in his office. Lately the two had kept their distance and only talked when something important was about to be made known. He wondered what was about to happen. It was bound to be an important discussion for Naruto to have come to his office. The moment Naruto walked in the Kage activated the privacy seal knowing that it was going to be important. Naruto was simply staring at him.

In his mind Naruto was laughing. It was fun to let the Hokage sit there and squirm in his illustrious chair. Finally Naruto decided to end it.

"There are two things I want to know about and you will answer my questions honestly. Do you understand me?" Hiruzen nodded. "Good. The first is Orochimaru. That psychopath put a seal on Sasuke. What was it and why?"

The Sandaime's face grew grim. "That seal was something we know very little about. Even though Orochimaru was my student I failed to see what he was. As he continued to descend into madness and darkness he started experimenting on people. Very little is known about it but that seal is called the curse seal. It has a very low survivability rate. However, we don't know much other than that, and that it grants the user power but at the cost of Orochimaru being able to use it to influence them to a certain degree. "

"Hmm….Alright, the other thing I wanted to know about is Itachi."

"What about him?"

"What happened the night of the massacre?"

"We don't know much other than that he killed his entire clan before they could react and that he left his brother alive. From what Sasuke told us, Itachi wanted him to let his anger and hatred grow until he was strong enough to challenge him. It seems he wanted Sasuke to grow into a worthy opponent in his eyes."

"Then do tell me, why Itachi came to me that night making me promise that I would help Sasuke stay on the right path and get stronger?"

The old man was now gaping in shock. Naruto had never told him about this. "What do you mean? What happened?"

"I already told you what happened. Now you tell me why Itachi seemed to be acting. With me or with Sasuke he was acting. Though if he wanted Sasuke to grow in his hatred I doubt he would have come to me at all. Now speak. I can see it in your eyes, you are hiding something. I already told you that I want the truth. It has been denied me for so long until recently and now you will speak."

The Hokage sighed, Naruto was beginning to be the source of a few headaches lately. "Naruto, I want you to understand that if what I am about to tell you ever leaves your mouth, even to your inner circle, then I will have no choice but to put you to death."

"That does sound important. I understand. Now speak."

"I hope you know that I am telling you a secret that was supposed to stay buried."

"So was my secret. Now stop stalling and talk."

Sigh* "The relations between the Uchiha and the rest of the village have never been great. They got even worse after the kyuubi attacked. Many thought they saw the sharingan in its eyes and the only person to have ever controlled that monster was Madara Uchiha. Eventually Itachi came to me and told me about how the Uchiha were planning a coup d'etat. We knew that if they did this it would cause many more deaths than we caused by doing what we did."

"You had Itachi kill his clan so as to spare as many lives as possible. But let me guess, he wouldn't kill Sasuke."

"Couldn't would be more accurate. He came to me pleading for his younger brother's life. However, I know that if Sasuke remained alive Itachi could never remain in the village. I told him the cost-"

"Would be to become a missing-nin. He quickly complied with the cast. Anything to protect the one he cared for more than the village." The Hokage nodded. "I find it amazing Hiruzen."

The Third flinched at the way he said the name. "What?"

"The fact that you personally created some of the worst enemies this village has ever faced. Itachi, Orochimaru, and depending on how things go it is quite possible that I and/or Sasuke could be enemies of this village."

"Naruto, list-"

"No, you listen old man. You said that the seal somehow influences people. You created Orochimaru, and in turn he could change Sasuke into an enemy. If the seal influences people, what better thing for him to influence then Sasuke's hatred of his brother? This and many other things are your fault. I can only imagine what else has stemmed as a consequence of your actions. That fact is inescapable." Hiruzen knew it was true. But tehn he realized the time.

"Naruto, I need to ask that you excuse me for now. I have something very important to do."

"Of course." Naruto turned to leave. Just as he got to the door he stopped. "I know that I can't call on information from you forever, so I will be expecting one more favor from you that you cannot refuse. Then the debt will be cleared away." Naruto said before leaving. It wasn't like Hiruzen could exactly argue. However, it wasn't like Hiruzen wasn't trying to fix some of them. Especially those pertaining to Naruto. Only problem was that he was having trouble rectifying an important right now and hoped that he was able to get it done soon, before something happened that couldn't be undone.

*break*

Naruto was currently sitting in a chair at his home. The clone was still standing his place back at the tower. He was currently making up a few plans and contingencies. His fight against Orochimaru showed him something. The Hokage didn't know that he wasn't using the greatest one of the greatest libraries to ever exist in order to get stronger. His threats would be empty if he couldn't get stronger. Orochimaru swatted him away like a fly without much trouble. And to think, in a one on one direct fight the Sandaime was above Orochimaru. He wanted to protect certain people, but how could he do that if he was too weak? He needed to grow stronger.

Now, how to do that without revealing himself too soon. Then an idea popped into his head. It was going to cause some migraines but it was worth it. He went outside and quickly created several hundred clones. "You all know what to do. Get to it. We have too many things to do and not enough time to do it. Organize your squads and do your jobs. I will be in my office planning for the things to come." Naruto said. The clones gave their salute of their right fist over their hearts and their left arm folded behind their lower back. He needed this plan to work. If his own suspicions were correct, and from what he knew about Orochimaru from everything he was able to dig up in such a short time, then his plan needed to work or people would die.

He needed these pieces. If he didn't have them….then things would go wrong. _'Things are escalating. And I'm up against someone who has already shown that as insane as he is he is no idiot. Orochimaru was here for a reason, not just to give Sasuke his curse mark, but something more. If I'm right then things are reaching a climax. One of the many that are to come.'_

*break*

To say that Naruto was becoming increasingly not happy about the way things were going would be a major understatement. He was quitter toughly pissed. Orochimaru had fought with Anko, resulting in her using a kamikaze move to try and kill him. She was reckless almost died. Her anger at Orochimaru blinded her. Then there was the preliminaries.

They had started relatively well, Shino had won his easily enough and Sasuke had also managed. However, he was disappointed at how weak Sakura was. She and Ino tied but the match was almost pathetic. It lasted longer than some of the others but Naruto was left underwhelmed.

It got better as Naruto almost broke his third neck. While Shino, Hinata, and he had grown stronger, Neji was still stronger than Hinata. When he went in for the killing blow Naruto saw it immediately and shunshined down before catching the boy by the neck. Neji's momentum let his feet keep moving just enough for them to come off the ground, and that suited Naruto just fine. Neji was taller but it didn't matter, his feet were dangling as he was held off the ground. Everyone was shocked. They never expected for Naruto to get there before anyone else could react. Even Neji was scared. He had noticed the abrupt changes that Naruto had gone through in the past and knew that he was currently unpredictable. Naruto was an enigma to Neji.

But Naruto decided to get to the point and make things clear. He pulled Neji down and made sure Neji was leaning over enough before speaking in the older boy's ear. "If I ever think for a second that you are ever about to hurt Hinata again," Naruto spoke, his voice taking on a dark and sadistically happy undertone, "then I will crush your neck in my hand. How is that for fate deciding things for you? If you act, I am quite destined to react. Now, nod your head if you understand what I just said."

Neji nodded as best he could with the grip the younger shinobi had had. "Good." Naruto responded before letting go of Neji, and backing up a step. Everyone thought it was over until Naruto acted once again. He quickly spun around with his leg extending before sending the stunned Hyuga flying into the wall, leaving an imprint in the concrete.

The proctor was stunned. "S-Short break before we resume matches." He said trying to wrap his mind around what had just happened. Naruto kept walking though. He was tempted to kill Neji when he had the chance, but it would have only caused problems. Naruto's own match also went well. Kiba was not in top condition so it wasn't hard to get several clones to distract him and Akamaru before the real one employed the double suicide decapitation technique.

After the preliminaries were over they were given a month to train before the finals, and Naruto was going to make the most of it. While Naruto did have his clones working on his pet project he did intend on finding someone to help train him for the time being. It didn't take much time for him to rule out many on the list. Even Kakashi was gone. He had opted to help Sasuke.

'_Speaking of Kakashi, wasn't that his perverted giggle?'_ Naruto wondered as he heard something so familiar. When he found the source he saw someone he had read about. The perverted toad sage himself Jiraiya of the legendary sannin. Naruto just found his temporary sensei.

"Hey, old man." Naruto said tapping on his shoulder.

Jiraiya looked at him. "What do you want kid? Don't you see I'm busy doing research?"

"Ah, yes. The kind of research that might be ruined should anyone, I don't know say, me decided to yell, I don't know, 'Look a pervert!' right here next to this conveniently placed women's hot springs that is visited often by kunoichi. I'm sure you would like to get back to it. Don't let my next few words disturb you." Naruto said before drawing in breath in an over exaggerated fashion as if he was about to yell. Jiraiya panicked. Flailing his hands to stop him.

"Wait, there is no reason to do that. I'm sure we can come to some sort of arrangement. Let me ask that again, what do you want?"

"Well…" Naruto dragged out while holding a pose like he was deep in thought. "Oh, I know. I'm currently in the chunin exams and need someone to help me train during the next month."

"What, you can't be serious?!"

"If you still want me to start telling people that the Ero-sannin is back in Konoha then by all means I will be happy to oblige." Jiraiya scowled at the name but knew he was cornered. If he didn't go ling with it then he would have to get some actual work done. He at least wanted to get some research out of the way first and throwing this kid a bone would guarantee that.

"Fine, I'll help you train. Now what do you want me to help you train in?"

"That is simple. I would like you to help me train in my kenjutsu, taijutsu, and chakra control."

"Well, we had better get right to that then."

*break*

To put things simply, Naruto was currently falling off a cliff. A more precise way of putting it would be that he was pushed. Over the past couple of weeks Jiraiya had been training in his kenjutsu, taijutsu and chakra control. While working on his kenjutsu he had used a generic sword so Jiraiya wouldn't recognize the blade. His taijutsu had become on par with most high level chunin. When they started working on his chakra control Jiraiya had done three things. The first was that Jiraiya had Naruto sign the toad summoning contract. The second was that he had Naruto work on the water walking in order to be better prepared for what he was going to do next. It was time for Naruto to try working with the kyuubi's chakra. In order to force Naruto to interact with the kyuubi Jiraiya pushed Naruto off a cliff. This is where we come in as Naruto enters his mindscape. It didn't take long for Naruto to navigate what appeared to be a basement of an industrial plant, with pipes running along the ceiling and the floor, that was slightly flooded as the pipes leaked.

When Naruto came into a giant room the first thing he noticed was the giant cage in front of him. He approached it and saw what he was looking for. The kyuubi. It had known he was there from the beginning so it was already looking at him when he entered.

"**Come closer." **It said as Naruto approached the cage but stopped when he noticed its claw move.

"You were going to try and stab me through the cage."

"**Very perceptive. I didn't think I would get you, but thought it worth a try. You are much smarter than some give you credit for."**

"I'm not sure if I should take that as a compliment or not."

"**I was commenting your intelligence, take it as you wish. But you are here for a reason, aren't you." **It wasn't a question.

"I need to use your chakra for the time being. At least until I am strong enough to not need it."

"**HAHAHAHA! You certainty are direct. First, do tell me what you are currently thinking about the current situation of the village and those in it."**

"I trust almost none of them. But you already know hat. You already know just about everything I'm thinking about what's going on. I can sense that Orochimaru wasn't here just to give Sasuke that curse mark. It was too simple for a man like him. With Orochimaru nothing is ever simple. And then Jiraiya is here. He has helped me these past few weeks but I can sense that he has ulterior motives. I just don't know what they are. I don't trust him, especially considering he was supposed to be here for me all this time but wasn't. However, right now I have more pressing matters to deal with."

"**AH, you mean your contingencies and plans. So what are you going to do?"**

"That depends on them. I would like to talk to you at a later time, and for now just want to get this done."

"**Of course. Take the chakra. Think of it as rent if you want. I must admit that this cage is much more comfortable than my previous seal. Not to mention that if you die I die."**

"Yes, I read my mother's notes about what her mindscape put you in." Naruto said as he left, feeling the power now at his disposal as he summoned the chief toad, causing Jiraiya to smirk. Things were moving along and not even Naruto could stop them now.

*break*

The rest of his month long break from the chunin exams had left Naruto ready for anything. He was prepared to fight Neji and had prepared himself for anything else the day might bring. Naruto could feel something coming. And it was coming soon. For all the time during his training the kyuubi had yet to speak with him but for now it was fine. He watched the rest of the matches without much interest, aside from the fact that Kankuro forfeited his match. Naruto didn't see him as the type of person to simply give the other person a victory. However, it was now time for his fight against Neji.

Neji was as over confident as usual. Naruto may have taken him by surprise before, but he was already tired from fighting Hinata and was unprepared. Now it was just the two of them, and fate was on his side.

Meanwhile Naruto could look at Neji and see the arrogance. He was still stuck on his obsession with fate. It was time to truly crush him under the weight of the truth that fate had nothing to do with anything. You carve your own path. Just before the fight was about to start the Hokage was getting a report.

"And you are sure that he has been here for the past month?"

"He has been her for at least that long." The ANBU in front of him replied. "He was training Uzumaki Naruto during the break period between the preliminaries and now."

"That stupid toad." The Hokage growled as he pounded his fist into his chair. "I told him it was urgent and he completely blew it off. No doubt Naruto used blackmail to get him to help with his training. Probably not telling everyone he was here. As soon as the finals are over I want him paralyzed while he is conducting his 'research' while someone makes his presence known. Keep him alive though. After that I want him tied up in an uncomfortable fashion and brought to my office. That is an order meant to be taken one-hundred percent seriously." The ANBU nodded at their orders and disappeared.

Back to Naruto and Neji, the fight had started and they just stood their staring each other down.

"You know you will lose Uzumaki, it has already been decided by fate that I shall win."

"Can it, I don't believe that trash one bit and when I'm done you will see that it is nothing but garbage." Naruto yelled as he quickly rushed Neji.

Neji quickly knocked Naruto aside before seeing him burst into smoke. A shadow clone. When he looked around for the blonde he couldn't see him. Before he could react hands came up from the ground and grabbed his ankles. Before they pull him underground he quickly broke the grip they had and backed away. It took him only a moment to activate his byakugan and saw that Naruto was underground. However he didn't stay there long as climbed out of the ground.

"Well, the byakugan, now things are getting serious. I hope you have heard of my signature justu, because if not this is going to confuse you." Naruto said before twenty clones popped into existence beside him. Neji was now panicking. He couldn't tell where the real one was. They all had the same chakra. That meant he just needed to deal with all of them. This decision reached him just before he rushed in to take on the clones. He quickly dispelled all of them to see the last one standing in front him smirking. Just as Naruto started running to go for a punch, Neji started to spin around thus scraping Naruto's fist as he pulled back at the last second trying to avoid the defensive move, kaiten, often described as the perfect defense. This was going to be fun.

Naruto shook his hand to ignore the scrapes and jumped away a few feet. "Do tell Neji, what drives your passion for fate?"

Neji looked at him for a moment before lifting his headband. He was showing the caged bird seal. "The fate of a branch family member is this mark. Fate is unavoidable. I was fated to be a branch member and this is where I am fated to be. These eyes of mine show me many things. One thing they've shown me… people's limitations are set, fixed, and unchangeable. Only a fool wastes his time trying to become something he can never be! The only destiny that everyone shares… is death. And this mark represents a mark of the bird in a cage… It is… the symbol of being tied down to an inescapable destiny."" Neji responded before telling about how his father was forced to die in his uncle's place, and how that is the fate of a branch member, to serve and give their lives for the main family.

"I am sorry to hear that you believe fate determines everything, I am also sorry for the life you have had so far. However, this is as far as you go."

"No, this is as far as you go, you are within my range." Neji said as he got into position. "Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms!"

All Naruto could do was stand there and take it as the jutsu closed off his tenketsu. When Neji was done Naruto was still standing there but was slightly hunched over. "You have lost Uzumaki."

"No, I have not. You once told Hinata that people are judged by their true nature. It is the way of the world. That is why we have elite, and that is why we have outcasts. We can change our physical appearance and improve our skills with training and study, but ultimately, we are judged by what we cannot change. What can't be changed must be endured. We are who we are, and we must live with it. And you know what? You were right about that, but not in the way you think. People are judged by who they are, but in the end we are who we are and it can't be changed. Everyone has burdens, things that define them, and these things can often never be changed. They must be lived with, but it is our ability to live with them, accept them, and know that it makes us strong enough to do what we believe in. Who we are can be changed, and what we decide to do with who we are is what matters. It is not what others decide to do with who we are that matters, because if you truly believe that, then you have not accepted burdens you must live with, you have accepted shackles that bind you in such a way you can't even see that you hold the key. Do not accept your existence on fate. Screw fate, carve your own path!" Naruto yelled the last part as he felt chakra flowing through him. He had called upon the kyuubi's chakra to re-open his pathways before forming several dozen clones. "It is my ability to take what was given to me and make it my own, that allowed me to get this far. It is because I didn't just accept my fate; I built myself to this point. Now, you have lost." Naruto said as his clones quickly went in and systematically disabled Neji until he was knocked out. "Your reliance on fate is what brought you here. Take your fate, and bend it to your will to create a path no one can ever get in the way of. Fate is a set of unchangeable events. The only fate one should take is that which has already happened, because that can never be changed. However, destiny is the unchangeable future. And that is garbage. Everyone carves their own path with the fate of what has happened, to make a new future that is created by those who shape it, not by destiny." Naruto said as he walked away.

*break*

After the fight with Neji, Naruto's day proceeded to go downhill from there. Sasuke had kept everyone waiting and just when they were about to disqualify him he made an over-exaggerated entrance. To say things had gone wrong after that would be less than the reality of things. When Gaara saw his own blood he lost it and then things went right down the crapper. Orochimaru had started an invasion by activating a genjutsu that made most of the crowd fall asleep. Many of them quickly escaped and started getting others out. Naruto was in it for less than half-a-second because kyuubi had altered his chakra flow seeing as how his chakra was still there to do so for the moment. Naruto had decided to make himself useful and gathered Hinata, Shino, and Anko to follow Gaara. As they made their way out they were followed by Shikamaru and Kakashi. As they went on Kakashi and Anko split up to take on Temari and Kankuro. This left Naruto, Shino, and Hinata facing Gaara. The fight went badly with Gaara now pinning Shino and Hinata to trees in his partial biju form, demanding that Naruto fight him.

"So, I was right. You are a jinchuriki, just like me."

Gaara's face took on a slightly shocked appearance. "What do you mean, there is no way. These people try to protect you, fight by you, and are your friends. How can you be like me?!"

"The answer to your question is that the circumstances and choices in our lives changed dramatically. Things went wrong for both of us. It is hard, especially considering that one of them is the ichibi's, but I can see in your eyes the pain you have suffered. Beneath the hatred and indifference, you have suffered betrayal, loneliness beyond anything I could imagine, and raw hatred that over time simply consumed you." Naruto saw as Gaara started to experience everything that turned him into what he was. "I have been through different things, but I chose to keep trying no matter what they threw at me. You've met with a terrible fate, haven't you? But you chose to become what everyone thought of you, instead of creating your own path and staying in the light. So allow me now, to be your friend. Together we can change this world's view of us." Naruto said as he reached out his hand towards Gaara. Gaara was looking at him with shock and tears on in face.

'_How could one be given such a burden and keep walking down such a path?'_ Gaara was thinking. Gaara started to reach his hand out to take Naruto's before he felt everything crash down on him. **'Blood! Give me Blood!'** Gaara tried to fight it before he lost himself all at once and lost conciseness. It didn't take long as the ichibi formed with Gaara lying on top of its head. Naruto had to react fast and quickly summoned the chief toad. As he stood on top of Gamabunta he looked at the Shukaku.

"I need you to get me close. From a short distance I can jump on. After that you can go back."

"Are you sure about that?"

"Yes, now move."

It didn't take long for Gamabunta to get in close and then disappear once Naruto was on the ichibi. The moment Naruto got close to Gaara he knew he needed to make the ichibi hold still for him to concentrate. _'I guess it's time to do that.'_ Naruto thought as he used chakra to keep himself standing while forming a number of hand seals before putting his arms out to the side and his palms away from him. Instantly chains started to emerge from all over his body and wrapped around the Shukaku, even going so far as to muzzle his mouth. With ichibi holding still Naruto quickly found Gaara's seal and put his hand on it before closing his eyes to concentrate. As Naruto moved the chains extended and retracted as if they simply became the length needed. It took a few moments, and the seal was still weak, but the seal now stronger than before. Depending on how things go Gaara would now be able to sleep. This was all evident as the beast started to fade away and the sand started to fall away. Naruto decided to go ahead and take Gaara to his friends before waking him up. Once he had Shino and Hinata together he woke Gaara up.

"How-"

"I was able to re-write your seal so that it is at least stronger than before. You should even be able to sleep now, and the voice in your head should be easier to block." Gaara was shocked. He had gone through all this effort and still ended up helping him.

"If it wouldn't be too much trouble, I would like to accept that hand shake now." Gaara said, obviously still weak from it all. Naruto reached out and they shook hands. _'So this is what it's like to have friends.'_ Gaara thought before his siblings showed up. They didn't look too good, but before anyone could say anything they got Gaara and took off.

*break*

It had been a few days now since the Sandaime's funeral and Naruto was currently walking next to Jiraiya. Naruto had almost choked one of the old fools in the council for a particularly rude comment about him when they were discussing the topic of the next Hokage. However, the fact remained that they were currently on a trip to find said chosen person. Tsunade Senju, granddaughter of the Shodaime and chosen Godaime. However, she was also missing due to her sadness and refusal to return to the village. That was where Naruto and Jiraiya come in as it was their job to find her and bring her back.

They had been practicing, and sparing along the way and Jiraiya had started to teach Naruto the rasengan. Naruto had been training herder and was becoming better in his kenjutsu, taijustsu, and chakra control as they went and he had even been able to move on to the second stage of the rasengan. Naruto was currently thinking about some things as they walked into a village that Jiraiya claimed Tsunade had been sighted in. Naruto was leaning more towards it was because this place had a bath house that was popular among women in the area.

However, Naruto was forced to redact the thought, if only somewhat, when they managed to find Tsunade in a bar. As they approached her they could see she was tensing up, as if she knew they were there for a reason she wouldn't like. In all actuality Naruto knew that was exactly what they were there for.

"Hello there hime." Jiraiya said as they walked up to her.

"What do you want Jiraiya?"

"Jiraiya-sensei, can try to handle this. Based on the fact that she looks like she wants to break your bones I think I might get better results." Naruto interrupted.

"Alright, give it a try." Jiraiya said, backing away to give them room.

"Alright brat, what are you two here for?" Tsunade asked and Naruto sat down.

"The Sandaime was killed by Orochimaru, and we are here to retrieve the chosen Godaime. That means we are here for you."

"Ha, not going to happen."

"So you are content to sit here in your own drunken self-worthlessness? I honestly don't know why they want you to take this position. Your truly are pathetic."

"Watch it brat, I could still take you down with one finger."

"As fun as it would be to watch you try, I had enough fights with drunken people back when I went to Wave. However, how about we settle it on a gamble?"

"I'm listening." She couldn't pass up a good chance to win some money.

"If I can master the rasengan within the next three days, you come back and accept the post of Godaime Hokage."

"And if you lose?"

"Jiraiya will give you all the money he currently has on him."

"Alright, I accept."

"Good." Naruto said as he stood up. When he got to Jiraiya he had the toad sage walk next to him before he kept talking. "She will be coming back with us in a few days. From what you told me I know she couldn't resist a bet."

"Oh, so what were the stakes?"

"That I will master the rasengan within the next few days. If I win she comes back with us, and if I lose you give her all the money you currently have on you."

"What?! You can't just bet my money like that!"

"The fact that I just did proves how wrong you are."

"Grrr, it's not just that. There is no way you can finish the rasengan in such a short time."

"Yes I will, and the fact that none of you believe I can shows why it was a good bet to make. Trust me Jiraiya."

"Fine, head back the hotel room we got. I'll meet up with you later."

When Naruto got there he made a quick hand seal before gripping his head in pain. "AAAAAAHHHHHH! Crap that hurts. But I don't have time to do it slowly." Naruto said, once again trying to compose himself. Once he got over the pain he sat down so he could get back to work on the rasengan. However, before he could get back to it though he heard a knock at the door.

When he opened it he was surprised to see Itachi and his Akatsuki partner, Kisame Hoshigaki. Itachi was the first to speak. "Naruto, you will be coming with us."

"Hey Itachi, can we cut of his legs to make it easier?"

"Look, as fun as that sounds, I am going to have to decline that offer." Naruto responded before closing the door.

"Itachi, he just closed the door like we were room service." Kisame said with disbelief on his face.

"So he did, you can break the door."

"With pleasure." Kisame said before destroying the door. However he was shock to find Naruto coming at him with his fist. Before Kisame could pull back to block it Naruto was able to fly past with his fist connecting with Kisame's face. Before either akatsuki members could recover their shock Naruto took off, leaving behind several clones for them to deal with.

'_That should keep them busy until I find Ero-sanin.'_ Naruto thought as he took off.

*break*

'That should keep them busy until I find Ero-sanin.' Naruto thought as he took off.

*break*

That night Jiraiya was sitting in Tsunade's room talking to her.

"So today the akatsuki I've been trying to gather information on made a move to capture Naruto. I'm telling you, if you come back it will work. You and I both know he isn't their son. Sensei told us himself. He just named Naruto that to honor them."

"I know that Jiraiya. I was there. But we can't simply-"

"Of course we can. I have things set up perfectly. With you as the Hokage, and the fact that the most people in Konoha hate him, it won't be difficult to do. Besides, I already have him using it, so it will be simple. You and I both know that with him only containing half it can't reform later. It seeds at least part of its other half for it be able to do that."

"Fine, I'll take it under consideration. But I still want to wait for this bet to be over so I can get your money."

*break*

They were currently on their way back to Konoha with Tsunade and her apprentice Shizune. Naruto had surly shocked them all when Naruto had intervened with the fight between them, Orochimaru, and his lap dog Kabuto. Naruto had sent in several clones out onto the field and had them charge the battle field with either a sword or in their taijutsu stances. Most went after Orochimaru but Naruto took three clones with him to take on Kabuto. While two of the clones had swords Naruto and one of the clones were ready to use taijutsu. Naruto and his clones quickly engaged, putting Kabuto on the defensive as he dodged sword strikes and punches from Naruto. However while the clones kept him busy Naruto made more clones to keep him occupied. One of the clones quickly lunged grabbing onto Kabuto's left leg. Before he could stab the clone with his chakra scalpel another clone took the opening to grab onto Kabuto's right arm. The rest of the clones took advantage of his state and stabbed their swords into Kabuto to hold him down before grabbing onto him to keep him from fighting. He was trying to escape when he noticed the real Naruto rushing towards him with a rasengan in hand. He couldn't do anything as he was forced to take the rasengan to the chest. However, before they could finish Kabuto and Orochimaru they were able to get away.

This brought them to the gates of Konoha as Naruto had won the bet. Now that finding the new Hokage was over he needed to go home and prepare some things. He had a feeling that things were not over. He didn't know why, but he could feel the danger approaching. _'This is it. I can feel it. A decision will be made soon as to the paths I will be limited to. Things are moving ahead quite nicely. I might not have been promoted for the chunin exams, but rank matters little when you are stronger than most people. Now I just need to make sure that I am stronger than most people.'_

**[A/N] Alright, so next chapter I should finally get to the heart of things. How did you like this chapter? It's shorter than last chapter but longer than chapter four. Anyways, tell me what you think, I should have the next chapter out soon.**


	7. Commencing Plans

**[A/N] Here I am once again with another chapter of The Price of Your Betrayal. I don't own Naruto and I should finally dive right into the heart of things. I am finally going to wrap up Naruto's time of suppressing his potential and should bring us back to where this story started. Also sorry this took so long as I was trying to get it perfectly and not screw up. I've had this planned out for a while but I'm just now getting all the details worked out. Tell me what you think and I might go back and change some details. Also I will be changing the rating to M due to added violence and I intend on introducing some darker characters and possibly some darker themes. I'm not sure yet on how much darker I will make this fanfic but it shouldn't be too much if I do and I hope you will all still like it. also, i don'd own Naruto or any other material i use.**

Naruto was currently standing in front of the Godaime Hokage Tsunade Senju and Jiraiya. He had been called into there about something important. The new Hokage was handing him a scroll with his Name and a seal on it.

"What is this?" He asked.

"As far as we can tell, sensei left this and another scroll for you in his will." Tsunade said, handing him another scroll that was in the same state as the first.

"What are these seals on them?" Naruto asked, even though he had a good idea.

"Those are blood seals." Jiraiya responded. "They keep the scrolls closed and only release by the blood of the people they are registered to. From what we can tell, you and sensei are the only ones able to open them. And with him dead that only leaves you. We tried but they didn't respond to us."

"Alright, thank you. I'll take these then." Naruto said as he turned to leave. He stopped when he got to the door. "He was like a grandfather to me, so I think I know how you two are feeling about this. I'm sorry for your loss."

"And us for yours." Tsunade replied as Naruto left.

"So, I looked into it and found that he hasn't been seen near his apartment in the past few months. Not since he became a genin." Jiraiya said once Naruto was gone.

"What are you thinking?"

"I think there's something he isn't telling us."

"Do you think it's important enough to look into?"

"Maybe, we'll see." Jiraiya said as he took off out the window.

As they were talking Naruto was silently cursing under his breath. He had managed to figure out that Jiraiya had gone poking around his old apartment. At this rate things could become difficult. However, for the time being he was entering his home and headed for his office. Once he got in he put the two scrolls down on his desk and stared at them for a moment before picking one of them up. Once he unsealed it he found several sealing arrays filled with books, jutsu scrolls, as well as some of the Third's personal affects, and his battle armor.

'_I wonder how that got in here. He probably had spares and sealed one of them in here for me in case he died in battle.'_

In the second one he found one much more sensitive. It was a letter from Hiruzen. Naruto started to read over it and once he was finished did it again.

'_Naruto, if you are reading this then I am dead. I'm sorry I could never get your trust back. Granted, I don't know if I deserved it. I betrayed your trust. However, I now face a problem as I write this. I was never able to rectify one of my greatest mistakes and now I must leave it in your hands to fix for me. My lack of trust was at an all-time high shortly before your birth due to Orochimaru and him leaving Konoha a few years before your birth. I started trying to fix this mistake a few days after I told you about your parents, but if you are reading this I died before I could do it as I was going to change this letter once I did. But to get to the point, I didn't trust people and that has cost me dearly. I never told Jiraiya or Tsunade about you parents. As a matter of fact, I told them you were not their son and that your name was merely to honor them and nothing more. I did this because with them both out of the village I didn't think I could trust them. It took a lot to get Tsunade to come back as she was already in her drunken misery at the time and I didn't know what she might say while dunk. Jiraiya, as you no doubt know, was not a hard person for women to get close to. Once again I didn't know how safe the information would be with him. While I tried to protect you I very well might have only brought you more danger. I am sorry and I hope that one day you can forgive me, even though I would understand if you didn't. I trust you now Naruto with most of what I have gathered over the years and hope that you find your path through all that has happened and whatever challenges you face in the future. I leave this all in your hands Naruto. Good-bye.' _

– _The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi._

Naruto sat there for a moment, thinking about what to do now. The mistakes of Hiruzen Sarutobi were starting to become a source of trouble for Naruto. However, this did explain several things. It explained why they weren't there for him, and also explained why he sensed an ulterior motive coming from Jiraiya. Now what to do about this letter.

'_I will not allow my name to protect me. I want to know what they do while thinking that I'm not the son of their friend. I will reveal it to them in time, but for now I want to see how they act. This is now my secret to do with as I please. I will not simply give out my trust, it must be earned. It comes at the cost of passing my tests. It's time to see if they can do that.' _Naruto thought to himself. '_I do wonder though, what will they do next. I don't have long before something happens. I can feel it.' _Naruto thought as he headed out. He had some things he needed to do.

*break*

Naruto was currently about to talk to Neji, who he was able to find at one of the training grounds. Once he entered the clearing Neji noticed him almost instantly and turned to face him.

"Hello Uzumaki, I'm glad you are here, because I wanted to talk to you." Neji said once Naruto was close enough.

"Oh, and what would that be? I only ask because I also wanted to talk to you."

"I wanted to thank you."

"What for?"

"Before I fought you I believed that no one could advance to become better than what the station they were born in gave them. However, you showed me that anyone could grow to become even stronger than anyone else around them with enough work. As a matter of fact, thanks to you I had a talk with my uncle. He told me some things that truly changed my views. I thank you for what you have done."

"You're welcome. It took me time and effort to get to where I am. So now, I wonder if I could call you my friend and ally." Naruto said as he reached out his hand.

"Yes, a friend and ally. Funny enough I don't think I have ever truly thought of someone as a friend until now." Neji said and he shook Naruto's hand in a sign of friendship.

"Well, now I have another friend. One more person that I hope to one day stand beside as an ally. However, for now I must go. It's getting late and I still have something to do."

"Of course." Neji responded before Naruto turned and left.

*break*

It had been a few days since Naruto had talked to Neji and he was currently standing on top of the head of Hashirama Senju's statue at the valley of the end. He was looking at Sasuke standing on top of the statue of Madara Uchiha.

"Sasuke, what are doing?! What do you think you can gain from a mad man like Orochimaru?!"

"The power I need to confront my brother and get answers from him. What you told me shows that I don't know everything about that night. I need answers from him and I need power to do that."

"You truly are a fool. You might as well join Itachi."

"What are you talking about?"

"Orochimaru killed the Sandaime, and for the longest time he was the closest thing I had to family. Yet you would join him."

"Shut up. I need to do this."

"What if I told you that I can give you the power needed to confront your brother?"

"What do you mean?"

"If you take the strength needed to fight Itachi and take two people whose combined ability adds up to that needed strength, then there is not nearly as much time needed to become as strong as you need to be to fight him alone. Allow your friends to help you fight him. No one ever said you needed to fight him alone."

Sasuke's eyes widened slightly at what Naruto said. He didn't have to fight him alone. But Itachi was his brother, it was his responsibility. "Naruto, thank you. However, this is something I must do on my own. However, for what it's worth, after all the missions, Wave, that near death experience we had on that one mission-"

"We had to gather information from a mark in the women's side of a bath house and Kakashi sneezed. Funny enough we should have sent Sakura in and viewed from afar."

"Yeah, I have to wonder why she was the only one not there. However, after all of that I have come to think of you almost as a brother in all but blood, so I am sorry." Sasuke said as he turned to face Naruto, his curse mark flaring to life. "I will return once I have my answers."

Naruto knew that trying to convince him further wouldn't work. He would have to tell him about Itachi when they got back to the village. It would be the only way to right a few wrongs that have been created by Konoha.

'_Hey fox, mind giving me a bit of a boost? I'm stronger but that curse mark puts him at a higher level than I am now.' _His response was the feeling of extra chakra flowing through him as a red shroud started to wrap around him, changing some of his features as a tail of red chakra formed behind him.

"So, it would seem I'm not the only one with a strange power. When I get back you're going to have to tell me about it." Sasuke said with a smile, as if he was talking about being back tomorrow.

"I can't let you leave. Don't think it's because of my loyalty to the village or my orders Sasuke. It's because of my loyalty to those who have my trust and to my friends. So I will stop you because I already gave my word." Naruto said as he got ready to fight. Sasuke also got ready to fight before they both launched at each other.

*break*

Naruto was currently struggling to walk back to the village. His fight with Sasuke had been difficult and had pushed him to his limits. He had almost exhausted all of his chakra but had regained some of it by dispersing the clones he had working on his project at his home, and used the boost to finish it. He had been pushed to three tails when Sasuke had activated his level two curse mark. However, he was currently struggling to get back right now primarily because he had two already healing holes in his left chest and right shoulder, and the fact that he was carrying Sasuke on his back. When Sasuke was walking away and apologizing for what he had done to Naruto, Naruto had used the last of his energy from the clones to slam a weak and low powered rasengan into Sasuke's back. It had only knocked him out because of how weak it was but had gotten the job done.

Naruto had been brought from his musings as he saw the gate come into sight as well as two figures standing in front of it. The road to the gate was usually busy, but with the things that happened in the past few weeks. As Naruto got closer he could started to get a bad feeling.

'_Why are two ANBU waiting for me? I could understand the two guards waiting for me, but this isn't important enough for them to send ANBU. Something isn't right here.' _Naruto thought before making a small, unseen, hand seal as the ANBU started to move closer to him. Naruto was about to ask what they were doing here before one of the ANBU left his sight and everything went black.

*break*

When Naruto came to he was laying against the stone wall of a cell. The entire cell was stone, aside from the steel bars that made up the door and small windows that let in light and linked the cell to its neighboring cells, though those were smaller than the one letting in light.

'_Where am I? The last thing I remember was the ANBU and then-' _Naruto stopped thinking as he realized what had happened. _'They betrayed me. I trusted these people and they betrayed me. But why? Why did they put me in here, and what do they plan to do with me now?' _Naruto thought before he heard someone walking closer to his cell. When they stopped in front of his he looked up to see Tsunade and Jiraiya standing there.

"You're awake. Good. That means we can talk about what happened."

"Yes, I'm a bit curious as to why I'm in this cell so talking might be a good place to start before I tear this place apart."

"Not going to happen kid." Jiraiya spoke up. "This place is meant for shinobi prisoners. The whole cell is covered with seals to keep a person from using their chakra. Not to mention we slapped you with a few of them, including some to suppress the kyuubi."

"Over kill, don't you think?" Naruto asked with a joking tone. The two sannin weren't laughing. "Oh well. Then tell me why I'm in here."

"To get rid of the threat." Tsunade replied, as Naruto sat up and composed himself.

"I was one of the people who discovered that the kyuubi incident was not an accident. The last jinchuriki of the kyuubi had it extracted before it was used against the village and then sealed into you by the Yondaime. I also managed to find out that he took part of the kyuubi and sealed in into himself before he died. Without that other half, when you die it won't regenerate in a few years." Jiraiya included.

"So you intend to kill me so that the kyuubi will die?" They nodded. "So when Jiraiya pushed me off a cliff, that's what the kyuubi meant when he said that if I die he dies. How about, instead of you keeping me in here I make a deal with you. You let me out of here, we pretend this never happened, you owe me two favors each, and I also forget you ever locked me in here."

"And what if refuse?" Tsunade asked, not liking where this was going.

"You have three days to accept the other deal. Because, if you keep me locked in here after the three days are up another deal will be put into place. You keep me in here, and I swear that I will kill you all. But wait, there's more. I'll make sure that some people die in some excruciatingly painful ways." Naruto said with a sadistic smile growing on his face.

"Even more reason to keep you right where you are until your execution." Jiraiya said.

"I do have to wonder how you got approval to do this."

"It wasn't hard since most the council hates you and that I'm the Hokage. Once we had a sensory type watch your fight and see you unleash so much of the kyuubi's chakra, it was easy to have many of them agreeing with it." Tsunade said

"Let me ask you this; how long have you two been planning this?"

"I have been planning this for a while, but Tsunade only got in on this when we picked her up in that town to bring her back." Jiraiya answered.

"I figured that this was your plan. She was to drunk and you two are too stupid to come up with this in such a short time."

"Can it, if you think trying to make us angry will help you it won't. We're going to give you a pubic execution once everything is ready." Jiraiya said.

"I can't wait. Now leave, I'm tired." Naruto said as he laid back down.

Before they could say anything Naruto was asleep and they could tell they weren't going to get further response from him.

When Naruto woke up again he could hear a noise from the cell to the right of his. Tack* Tack* Tack*. In reality his neighbor was throwing a small piece of stone at the wall.

"Do you really need to keep doing that?" Naruto asked. The noise stopped.

"Why the hell should I fool?"

"I'm the fool? From your voice, and if I remember correctly, your name is Tayuya, correct?"

"Yes, that is my name. But from what I heard you actually fell for a trap laid out for you a long time ago."

"Yes, I was betrayed. I trusted them and they betrayed me. However, so were you."

"How did you pull that one out of your anus?"

"Simple. Orochimaru could be here right now, getting you out. A sannin as powerful and sneaky as him would have no problem getting you out of here and being gone before anyone knew what was happening. Yet here you are, sitting in a cell next to me."

"Shut up! I'm sure that there are things keeping him from doing so."

"Yes, I'm sure there is. Probably the fact that with you in here you are no longer worth anything to him. To him you are nothing more than a broken tool."

"Shut up, I am a part of Orochimaru's personal guard!"

"You were a member of his guard. You stopped guarding him the moment you were left behind to keep Sasuke moving forward, and became little more than failed experiments when you lost your individual fights. You know I'm right. He doesn't even care that your still alive. So tell me, how did you wind up in here?" Naruto asked, breaking away from the original conversation.

"You just changed the subject moron."

"Yes I did. Now, would you answer me question?"

There was an audible sigh. "I don't even know. Last thing I remember before waking up in this crap-hole was being crushed by a tree."

"Well, if I only said one thing about that, it would be that you should count yourself lucky to be alive."

"Oh, yes, I'm so happy to still be alive so I can sit in this cell and be tortured for information until they no longer need me alive." Tayuya's voice came through the window along with a wave of sarcasm.

Naruto sighed before his eyes widened slightly and then went back to normal. He sighed again before standing up and walking to the door of his cell and looking around. He couldn't see much, but from what he could tell there wasn't anyone around. He then walked to the window he was talking to Tayuya through.

"Do you know if anyone is around?"

"No one should be right now. Why?"

"Because I want to ask you something, and I don't want them hearing it. You and I were both betrayed, so if I were able to get you out would you take up the bargain that comes with it?"

"What are you talking about?"

"If I get you out of here, will you agree to do something for me?"

"Like what?"

"When you get out, head east and slightly south until you get to the southernmost part of the Land of Hot Water and there will be a small village. Go there and wait for me to get there. Then I will offer you a new lease on life. As long as you do that and agree to give my next offer once I meet you there a chance, then you will be out of here within the next fifty-two hours."

"Oh, and what about my friends? Even I have morals."

"So you weren't the only survivor?"

"No, all of the original sound four survived and at least two hundred sound shinobi were captured. Granted, at least fifty of those were killed already. The only person I know for sure didn't make it was Kimimaro. I don't know why he was the only one of the sound five who didn't survive."

"I'll tell you what," Naruto said leaning against the wall and putting his face against the bars of the bars of the window so he could barely see part of her head, "As long as you ensure that as many of them come with you as possible."

"Alright, I'll accept. I'll accept just because of how impossible and outlandish that plan is."

"Oh? Don't you know? Part of my reputation is for making the impossible, possible."

"HAHAHA! Alright, just for that, I'll make sure to do just that the moment we're out of here."

"I can't guarantee that all of them will be out of here, it will be difficult to get out as many as I will." Naruto said as he started to smile like a mad man.

"I can accept that."

"Good."

*break*

Naruto was currently sitting by the door to his cell. It had been fifty-one-one-and-a-half hours and Naruto had been subject to some people coming in and torturing him. He had also heard Tayuya being tortured. However, they were actually trying to get information out of her rather simply beating him because they hated him.

However, Naruto was listening to Tayuya calling him a liar about his deal. She had never expected him to deliver and was just mocking him now.

"Be quiet Tayuya, watch the show unfold."

"What sh-" She was interrupted by an explosion coming from down the hall. The reaction was immediate as shinobi appeared in the hall to respond. They didn't get more than a few feet before kunai came out of the smoke and pinned their arms to the walls. Before they could do anything to get away a figure came out of the smoke. The figures form said that they were obviously male. The figure was wearing black, featureless pants, a shirt designed the same way, and a large black trench coat that was open and had a hood that was up. This hood kept the shadows over most his face while a small cloth covered the rest of it. The other distinguishable detail about him was that he had a large scythe over his shoulders, behind his head, and with his forearms draped over its long handle as if the current situation was nothing to him. He moved over and knocked out the shinobi pinned to the wall with his elbows.

His head turned to their cells before he gripped his scythe with his right hand closer to the blade and the left lower down as he readied the weapon. It took him no time at all to bring it down and rip apart the door to Tayuya's cell. Before he could do anything more Ibiki Morino who attacked him with his own blades, a kunai in his right hand and a tanto in his left hand. However, before he could do any damage, the figure brought his scythe down. He used the blade to block his tanto and the handle to block his kunai. He quickly pushed Ibiki back. Before Ibiki could react the man let his left hand release his weapon before he relaxed, and black shapes started to emerge from his body. When enough of them came out of him they could be identified as more of the figure as they simply phased out of his body.

'_What kind of clones are those? I've never heard of someone being able to do something like this!'_

Then the figure spoke, his voice sounding deep and distorted. "Hold him and get to work. I'm going to get to my on job." He said as one of his clones went in and grabbed Tayuya before taking off like the rest of them. Before Ibiki could shake himself of his surprise, the figure pulled is scythe out of the ground and used the handle of it to pull Ibiki's feet out from under him. The man walked up to him and stepped on Ibiki's fingers when he tried to reach for his tanto. "I'm letting you live so that the future can be more fun." The figure said before knocking Ibiki out. He turned to leave.

"Hey, aren't you going to let me out to?!" Naruto asked.

"No, and you know why so don't ask." The figure responded before walking back out of the hole he came in through.

*break*

There was currently a man walking through the woods. He was wearing a travelling cloak that was buttoned closed and with the hood up. He was hunched over so his face was hidden. When he come to a clearing with a two story Japanese style home with white walls and black roofing. He walked up to it before stopping five feet away. He pulled out a scroll from within his cloak before setting it down on the ground and opening it to reveal a large and complex sealing array that was also empty. He put his hands on the scroll before the sealing array extended over the ground in front of him and under the house.

When the array was all over the ground in front of him and under the house, chains shot out of the ground and wrapped around and all over the house. As the chains made contact with the building they became flat before morphing into seals all over the walls, supports, and roofing. In an instant there was a burst of smoke as the building disappeared. When the man stood up he looked at the scroll. In the middle of the sealing array was the kanji fore home. He put the scroll back away in his cloak and turned around. The moment he got beyond the trees he disappeared.

*break*

Later that night Tayuya was running through the woods rallying the rest of the sound shinobi so they could all meet at the same place. Once she had them all, including the rest of the sound four, she told them that their next orders were to meet in a village in the south of the Land of Hot Water. She had plenty of arguments about it but the rest of the sound four knew they had no orders and decided to ask here about it on the way. Once they were on their way Tayuya refused to tell them and said they would know soon. Sakon and Ukon tried to play the leader card but still got nothing. They were curious about these orders and decided to wait.

'_I can't believe I'm actually doing this. But the fool did follow through on his part. I wonder what else he can do. Heck, he even got all but thirteen of them, and they were dead before any of that escape ever happened. I wonder what's going to happen once he meets us there.'_

*break*

Naruto was currently sitting in his cell. He had been interrogated about the attack but when he pointed out that he was still here and everyone but him was long gone they simply dropped the matter. Now he was currently sitting in the dark corner of his cell as the moon was the only light source right now.

"I still can't believe that it actually turned out like this", came his voice from the dark corner of the cell.

It would seem that the decision to plan for many large things including this was quite the wise decision. Even though this betrayal shocked him, he could no longer stop himself from smirking as everything was going according to plan. _'I still can't believe that it turned out this way. Oh well. All that's left is to sit and wait' _However he could not stop himself from thinking of all the events leading up to thought to himself as the memories of everything that had happened in the past few years went through his mind. _'Everything is going to get really busy here in the next few days. But why should that matter. It has all been going according to plan.'_

*break*

A figure was currently standing in a room with several people. He was wearing a dark, black, and tattered cloak. He looked at his gathered subordinates before speaking in his authoritative voice. "Hello, I'm glad you all could make it on such short notice. I have recently gathered some new intel." He said as he pulled out several folders. "Gozu, Meizu. Pass these out to the rest of them." They complied and everyone started to read through the information they were given. "We will be making our move within the next year. Be ready to move at any moment. You don't know when we will move, just like I don't know when we will make our move yet. Be ready, you are my elite generals. When I found most of you I would have shrugged off anyone telling me I would say that to you in the future. However, in the last several months, bordering on a year, you have all grown more powerful. Now, I am placing important tasks in your hands. Don't fail me." He said before everyone took off except Gozu and Meizu.

"When I found you two tied to a tree I almost laughed about your predicament and now look at you two." There armor was mostly unchanged, but was now more advanced. While before it wouldn't have stood up to much for extended periods of time, it could now withstand moderate damage for a long period of time. Their skills had also improved, as they could now be classified on the same level as most mid-level jonin.

"Thank you sir." Meizu said.

"Of course. Now what you need to know is that things won't stay as calm as they are now for very long. The game is about to change. Once everything is set up I will fulfill my promise that I made to you two when I found you. Here soon I will end the war in Kiri. Here soon this world will change."

**[A/N] Alright, so once again this chapter is shorter. But I think that's just because I wanted to get it out on time. That and this is where I wanted to end it. Tell me what you think and the next chapter should be out in the next few days. Also, this particular chapter might be subject to some serious revision depending on what you guys think. At first I didn't think I did too good a job with Neji and Sasuke, but when I had trouble thinking of a better way I decided to stick with this. Anyways, any changes you think I should make will be welcome for the next couple days. However, when I get about half way through the next chapter I'm going to disregard them because at that point I'm not going back and changing everything I have. Alright, until next time.**


	8. Leaving and Awakening the Whirling Tides

**[A/N] Sorry about how short the last chapter was. I'm going to try and make this one longer. I don't own Naruto or any of the other material I use.**

**Guest review Gingitsune: I did purposely put in the Zelda reference, but if I added some for Atlantis or Avengers I fear I must have done so without realizing it myself. Liked the movies, just didn't purposely add them.**

**Now enjoy.**

Naruto had been sitting in his cell for two weeks now and was surprised to have a visitor that didn't want him dead. He had seen the man before during the few times he had stood in front of the council. This was Danzo. He was standing there with his hands folded over his can. He was also the only one there besides Naruto.

"What do you want old man?" Danzo's visible eye narrowed at the comment but that was his only visible reaction.

"I'm here to make you an offer."

"What offer is that?"

"You are a jinchuriki. They have always been the most powerful weapons for a ninja village to have. I would like for you to come work for me at a secret division of the ANBU called ROOT. In exchange you are no longer in this cell and will not be executed."

"Tempting offer. Yes, I think that under different circumstances I would accept your offer. However, things have been set in motion and I can no longer stop them. I'm going to have to decline your offer."

"You're making a mistake."

"No, you made a mistake. You thought that I wasn't right where I want to be and that will cost you." Danzo's eye narrowed further.

"What game are you playing? What do you get from being in this cell, about to be executed?"

"Wait and see Danzo, Wait and see." Naruto said before Danzo turned and disappeared.

*break*

Naruto was currently sitting in his cell. It had been a little more than a month since they had locked him up in that cell, and he was starting to become impatient. He was sitting there, tapping his fingers rhythmically before releasing a heavy sigh.

"Hey, Ibiki." Naruto said, getting the man's attention. He had been posted there to watch Naruto in case anything happened.

"What do you want now?" About an hour ago Naruto had bugged him with stupid questions non-stop. He was bored and that was fun.

"I was wondering when my execution will happen. I'm starting to become impatient."

"Most people try to postpone their death. You want it sooner?"

"No, I simply want this charade over with."

"What charade?"

Before Naruto could answer him they both heard someone getting closer. It was Tsunade and Jiraiya. Ibiki stood up to greet them but he was ignored. Once they were facing Naruto Tsunade spoke.

"Naruto Uzumaki, your execution is in an hour. Any last words?"

"Finally. I was growing impatient, as I have already told Ibiki. As for my last words I think that I should address the audience with them. After all, they are who the words are for. But you have finally graced me with your presence for the first time since you locked me up. I guess you didn't take my offer of mercy too seriously did you."

"Whatever. How could you do anything to kill us all with you about to die yourself?"

"You're going to regret not taking me seriously." Naruto said as a crazed look appeared in his eyes. "I promise you this, I'm going to burn this village to the ground. So many people will die because you didn't take my words seriously. Kiba, Shikamaru, your precious council. They will have their heads on pikes, but only after they watch their clans slaughtered, and they themselves are tortured. Only when they beg for death will I grant it. Sakura, I'll make sure her and Ino are dropped in a prison in Iwagakure, wearing nothing but their head bands and chakra suppressors. Of course, Ino will also watch as I kill her clan. You people think you're invincible? You lady Tsunade, I will personally keep my foot on your windpipe until you start to turn purple. Then I will release my foot just enough for you to inhale a large breath, right before I crush your windpipe and leave you there. The last thought that will go through your mind will be you wondering how you could have screwed up so much, as you watch your village burn. I will raze this place to the ground and no one will be able to stop me." Naruto said, looking absolutely hysterical at this point. When he was done his face quickly recomposed into one of calm and collectiveness.

Jiraiya was the first to get over his shock at how insane the boy sounded. "You really are one crazy bastard aren't you." It wasn't a question.

"I might have been in here to long, but sometimes the only way to stay sane is to look out though those bars and say 'is everyone out there nuts?!'" Naruto said, grinning again.

Tsunade gave one last look of disgust before turning and leaving with Jiraiya in tow.

"So, things are finally moving along." Naruto said. Before Ibiki could shake what had just happened Naruto asked, "Would you like to hear a song?" Ibiki didn't respond. "I guess I'll sing it anyways. The beet was slow and calm but had an ominous undertone to it as Naruto tapped the stone with it.

'Please tell me, where I could be

I can't tell, 'cause I can't see

Touches lit, and I find I'm alone

Expected, as nothings set in stone

Long ago, I found myself stuck here

Now my heart, is clouded with fear

Find my way, through this deadly maze

Stow away, preserve or raze

As I've learned, and as I've known

Nothing is set in stone

I remember well, when they left me to die

A stab in the back, a cut of all ties

Please tell me, who you could be

I can't tell, 'cause I can't see

I'm not blind, I have my sense of vision

But my eyes, are clouded with darkness

Long ago, I found myself stuck here

Now I'm just, a confused creature

Find your way, through this puzzle

Don't lose hope, or darkness will control

As I've learned, and as I've known

Nothing is set in stone

I remember well, the last day we shone

They left me cause, nothing's set in stone'

Naruto finally came to a stop. "Well, that's all. Oh well, I guess it's time for things to start moving along.

*break*

Naruto was being led out to his execution by Tsunade and Jiraiya, yet he couldn't stop smiling.

'_I'm prepared for this. It can't be stopped anyways. Not even the very handsome writer of this story.' _Naruto's smile got bigger at the thought. _'Someone writing all of this out as it happens. Ridiculous.' _Naruto thought to himself before Jiraiya noticed the smile.

"What're you smiling about brat? You're about to die."

"Simple toad. I have a surprise for everyone"

"Whatever."

When they finally got outside they had Naruto climb up a small tower. When they finally got up Naruto was able to see the most of the village had gathered to see him executed. Naruto didn't have time to marvel at this before he was pushed to his knees. He could still see almost all the crowd, as he was close to the edge. He looked around him and saw that apart from Tsunade and Jiraiya, there was a stereotypical executioner, hood and all.

Tsunade spoke up loud enough for all to hear. "Now, we are all going to watch his head roll. But first, he has asked that you all hear his final words. Considering his service in retrieving Sasuke Uchiha I doubt any of you will object." Silence followed. She turned to Naruto. "Speak while you have the chance."

Naruto looked out over the see of people and saw a few familiar faces. He saw most of the Konoha twelve. He could see the looks of hatred and disgust behind the eyes of Sakura, Ino, Kiba, and Choji. He saw the look of confusion, hatred, and guilt in the eyes of Lee. He could see indifference and boredom on Shikamaru's face. He didn't even see Tenten.

When his eyes landed on some of the sensei out in the crowd he saw varying things. Kakashi held disappointment in his eyes. Kurenai looked like she wanted to be the executioner. Asuma looked sorry that he wasn't doing anything to stop it. Guy looked disappointed that such an un-youthful thing was being done to Naruto.

His friends all had the same extreme determination in their eyes. He could see it in Shino, Hinata, Neji, and Konohamaru and his team. Sasuke and Anko weren't there. He already knew they wouldn't be. He could see the Ichiraku family standing there, looking like they wanted to kill whoever was responsible for this. Naruto smiled. So many people cared that he didn't care about those who hated him. It's time.

"Everyone in Konoha, I have fought for you and this is where I have ended up. I have things to say to many of you. Sakura, I tried to be your friend and now you look at me with hatred. Kiba and Choji, I tried to show you how wrong you were about judging people, but it would appear I failed. Kakashi, you once said that those who abandoned their team mates are worse than trash. Yet there you stand, looking at me with disappointment." Naruto smirked. "Obito and Rin would be disappointed." He loved seeing the shock and anger on Kakashi's face.

"My friends, just stand by and enjoy the show I have for you. You see, you have yet to capture me. As a matter of fact, I should be two days from Iwagakure by now." Naruto smirked even more. He loved their confusion. "Back in wave I started experimenting with the kage bunshin jutsu. I was trying to make them last longer. I won't go into details, but it worked. Granted it eats chakra like crazy. For me I was lucky to keep the clone for as long as I did." He loved every moment as understanding dawned on most of them. It's amazing what you can do with them when you have chakra reserves like mine." They were too shocked to stop him as he stood up. "I will be back, and when I return I will raze this village to the ground. All of you will pay the debt you now owe me. I promise you, that Naruto Namikaze Uzumaki will return and slaughter all of you! You all have a debt to pay, and I will make sure it will be paid in full!" He yelled before bursting into a large explosion of smoke.

Everyone in the crowd was speechless for all of five seconds before it tuned to pandemonium as they all started to panic. Naruto was loose and claimed he would one day return. Not only that but he claimed his name to be Namikaze. What was going on could only be described as pure chaos. It went exactly as planned. Hinata, Shino and the others shared a look before taking off. No one noticed them in the chaos. They didn't know this was going to happen, but they knew someone who did and had to get to the eastern gate.

Tsunade was now shouting order at the ANBU to head out and catch up with him. She did not want him escaping. It took all of five minutes for her to get most of them to move out. Before she could move an inch one of the barrier team appeared before her.

"Lady Tsunade, we have a problem. We were watching the sensory sphere and saw a small group of ripples at the east gate. Before we could react it looked like a paper bomb had gone off on the sphere in the same location. Then the entire sphere just collapsed. The other two from the detection division and the five from the interception division are checking it out right now, but one thing is for certain. The barrier is gone." Tsunade looked like someone had just called her old before smacking her in the face. The shock she was experience would give lesser people a heart attack.

*break*

Naruto was currently running through the woods. They had betrayed him and now he had to hope that it worked. It had to. If they found out that they captured a clone before he was ready then it wouldn't be long before they caught up with him. But he couldn't run anymore. He was already tired from the fight with Sasuke and just used all but the very last of his chakra to make that clone. He couldn't keep going. He crashed into a tree, hugging it for dear life, trying not to fall down. He failed at that task as his hands stopped gripping the tree to cushion his fall. Everything went dark before he even hit the ground.

*break*

Naruto started to come back to reality and attempted to clear his mind. Before he could fully wake up his memories came back to him and he shot up. Pain shot through him as he did so. He let out a small groan and laid back down slowly. He quickly cleared his mind as best he could and looked around while gathering his bearings. He still had his pants on, but his shirt was gone and replaced with bandages over his chest.

He was in a normal sized room in what appeared to be a cabin. The walls were relatively undecorated, apart from a painting of a small cabin on a lake and in the woods with a mountain in the back ground. There was little furniture apart from a nightstand and a small righting desk. However, Naruto's eyes were drawn to the door as he saw it open.

There in the door way was an old man wearing simple black pants, a gray shirt, and a black robe over them. The most noticeable feature about him was his faded red hair that fell down between his shoulder blades and framed his face. He had a calm and almost wise look. He walked over to Naruto before speaking in a manner that spoke volumes about him. It was calm and yet felt like he could have a yelling match with the Hokage if he wanted to.

"Good, you're finally awake."

"How long have I been sleeping?"

"A little more than a day. Any other person would have been out far longer with the injuries you had. Though, most of them, like you would have, had your wounds not healed at such an astonishing rate."

"Yeah, guess I'm just lucky like that."

"I would think that someone with your burden would consider yourselves a little less than lucky?"

"What do you mean?"

"First let me ask about this patch I found on you." The mas said before holding up the patch that had been on Naruto's pant leg. "Where did you get it?"

"I was told that it belonged to my mother."

"And who was your mother?"

"Why do you want to know?"

He turned it over to show the engraving on the back. It had two sets of initials on it. They were both K.U.

"Because this belonged to my daughter."

"Well, based on your hair, can I assume that you are the father of Kushina Uzumaki?"

"So, I have met my grandson then?"

"Yes, I believe you have."

"Well, now that I know you are an Uzumaki that explains why you hold the kyuubi."

"How do you know about that?"

"The burden of being the kyuubi jinchuriki has been somewhat of an Uzumaki tradition for a long time."

"You mean how my mother was brought to Konoha to be the next one."

"Yes. I was never told what happened to her. After the destruction of Uzushio I came here and discreetly tried to find her. I knew that if a made a seen that people would come after me. However I was never able to find her until after she became the wife of the Yondaime, and I take it that is where you got your hair. When I knew she was safe I decided to keep I distance until I was needed. I knew she was pregnant but believed you died in the kyuubi attack."

"You can blame that on the Sandaime and his law for that one. No one was allowed to talk about the kyuubi in the village. It was meant to keep the next generation from hating me. We see how well that worked out. So do you mind telling me how I got here?"

"I was out on a hike when I came across your fight with the Uchiha. I watched and when you took him back I followed. I saw what they did to you and heard that they out you in prison. I also saw you take off and found you passed out under a tree. I took you back here and treated your wounds, though I didn't need to do much seeing as how they were healing so quickly."

"Oh, I love shadow clones."

"Yes, how did you get it to last so long and withstand that damage?"

"Without going into specifics, I experimented with the jutsu and discovered a way to maintain a link. Through this link I can feed the clone more chakra as it's needed. There are drawbacks but I can also pass ideas and thoughts to the clone in real time. One of the drawbacks is that once I start getting lower on chakra it will start to make moving more difficult as I try to focus. Eventually I won't be able to walk. These effects are only temporary until I regain my strength."

"Amazing. Granted, I could only see someone with the chakra reserves of a jinchuriki being able to do so."

"So then, if you don't mind me asking, what do I call you? Grandfather?"

"If you want. However, my name is Kamaji Uzumaki if you want to call me by my name."

"Boiler Geezer?"

"My mother named me that after a character from her favorite book, Spirited Away."

"Alright, I'll call you Kamaji for now and see what happens. For right now though, I want to go back to sleep." Naruto said before passing back out.

*break*

Naruto had used the memories of the clone to develop a plan for giving him some much needed muscle. He had the clone make a deal with one of its neighboring prisoners and was about to head out to follow through with his side of the bargain.

"Hey, Kamaji. Do you have any cloths I can borrow?" Naruto asked before explaining his plan.

"Sure, but are you sure you want to go with a scythe?"

"Yes, if anyone recognizes my sword style there, there'll be problems."

"So how do you intend on getting them all out in time? You will have a small window before most of the village's shinobi get there."

"Shadow clones."

"Won't it stick out when someone uses as many clones as you'll need?"

"No, I learned another way to deploy them. No one will know what they are and that will be useful to me. I can make them appear to emerge from by body. In all actuality I learned how to make them live up to their name. I can make them emerge from my shadows. The Nidaime had "

"Alright, be careful." Kamaji said before Naruto took off. He was now wearing black, featureless pants, a shirt designed the same way, and a large black trench coat that was open and had a hood that was up. This hood kept the shadows over most his face while a small cloth covered the rest of it and had a device meant to distort one's voice on the inside. He kept the scythe on his back for the time being. He was also currently henged into a taller version of himself so that the cloths fit him. He was still only thirteen.

Sneaking into the walls of the prison was easy enough for him. They were trying to keep people in, not out. When he busted in he quickly deployed his clones, took care of Ibiki, and made sure all of the sound shinobi were out. Getting out was more difficult, but having so many people charging at once made things easier. The fact that their chakra was no longer being suppressed also helped. Once they were out of the prison Naruto found Tayuya and told here to keep her end of the bargain.

He then quickly escaped the ANBU by using his secret tunnels he had built over time before returning to the cabin.

"I trust everything went well?" Kamaji asked.

"Yes. Herder but not difficult. I have a question for you."

"And that would be?"

"Can you seal a building into a scroll?"

"Yes, the seals need to be specially made for it, but yes."

"Well, I can't work on seals that complex yet. I need you to do something for me."

"And what would that be?"

"I need you to keep your face hidden and seal my home in a scroll until I can find a place for it later."

"Alright, I think I can do that. Am I to understand that most of the world's remaining Uzumaki artifacts, or other related items, are in there?"

"Yes." Naruto responded before telling him where it was.

"I'll be back in a while." Kamaji said before putting on his hooded traveling cloak and leaving.

*break*

Naruto had opted to stay henged and covered by Kamaji's travelling cloak any time he went into Konoha. As it turned out, the cabin was just within the barrier that covered Konoha and the surrounding training grounds. He was on his way to handle Karin. To most people she died during the chunin exams. However, after they were over Naruto had her staying in a small rented room until he could figure out what to do. He was just happy she hadn't done anything stupid when he was imprisoned. He needed to handle the situations that everyone would cause over this. Gaara, Karin, and his other friends would no doubt raise chaos over his imprisonment.

When he got to where she had been living these past few weeks he knocked on the door and waited a few seconds before she answered the door. When she did he removed the hood just enough for her to see his face. She immediately let him inside.

"Naruto, how are you here? Did you escape?"

"No, I managed to make them think they have me imprisoned. I won't go into details on how I did it just yet. However, I need you to do something for me."

"What is it?"

"Tonight I want you to meet me here." He said as he handed her a piece of paper telling her how to get to the cabin. "Go ahead and get together what you have. I intend on making this village suffer someday. For now I'm going to fix a mistake made a long time ago."

"What do you mean?"

"You'll see eventually. For now just do as I instruct and things will turn out fine. I planned for this after all." Naruto said before giving her a smile. "I have other things I need to do in order to keep everything on track. I'll talk more with you back at the cabin." He said before turning to leave. "Just be careful. I'll see you later." Naruto said before walking out the door.

He was now headed to where the sand siblings and their sensei had been staying. When he got there he could here glass breaking. Gaara was no doubt pissed about what was happening to his friend.

Naruto sighed. '_This is going to be fun.' _Naruto thought before knocking on the door.

The door was almost ripped off its hinges when Gaara opened it. Naruto could see the other three occupants of the room cowering in the corner in a comical anime fashion as Gaara's shadow loomed over them.

"You had better be her to tell me my friend has been released or this will not end well for you." Gaara said. Naruto smirked before lifting his hood.

"I have something better." The look on Gaara's face was priceless. "Can I come in? I wasn't set free, so being out in the open is dangerous for me." Naruto said, his smirk turning into a broad smile. Gaara simply stepped to the side to let him in. Naruto noticed the other occupants sighing in relief that the rampage was over for the time being.

"I can't stay for long. I can come by tomorrow but for today I'm trying to keep people from doing anything stupid. However, I need you to calm down so you don't ruin relations between Konoha and your village. You need them for the time being. They don't need you as much."

They all nodded, knowing he was right. For the moment their village needed Konoha's aid to keep things in order. However, they were all interested in how Naruto was here if they didn't release him.

"Naruto, how are you here if they haven't released you? We have yet to hear anything about you escaping. We would have done something to help you." Gaara said.

"They currently have a clone in their possession. I won't bother explaining everything right now, but I want you to go back to Sunagakure soon. Simply wait there until I contact you again. I have everything planned out and so long as you wait it should all turn out fine." They all nodded at his words.

"Naruto," Kankuro spoke up, "I wanted to thank you for helping our brother."

"Of course." Naruto said before turning to leave. "When you leave just wait for me to contact you. Soon enough everything will go just the way I want it." Naruto said before bidding them farewell. He left and was now on his way to make sure everyone else would keep from causing problems. However, with them he needed to be careful. He couldn't meet most of them where they were staying without problems. The Hyuga and Aburame compounds were not without some level of security. The same could go for the Sarutobi. He needed to find a way to get to them without giving himself away.

He decided that a good first step would be to go to Ichiraku. When he got there he wasn't disappointed, as Hinata and Shino were the only people eating there at the moment. He sat down next to them and ordered a miso ramen. Then he spoke.

"So what do you people think of this Naruto Uzumaki? What do you think about all this going on?"

Hinata was the first to speak up. "I think that what they're doing to him is wrong. After everything he's done, they took what they could and now they're killing him off for no good reason."

"Well, I can't argue with you there. However, it's not like you can stop it." Naruto responded.

"We know that already." Shino said. "Anko tried to break him out and got sent on a mission that's supposed to take at least a month. They did this so that they could keep her skill but also keep her out of the way."

"If a special jonin couldn't do anything, what do you hope to accomplish?"

"Shut up!" Ayame said. "Who do you think you are, speaking like that?"

"Well, what if I told you that he isn't actually in prison like everyone thinks?"

"What are you talking about?" Hinata asked.

"Within the next couple of months a specific event is going to happen pertaining to Naruto. When it does, meet me at the eastern gate with everyone you can trust." Naruto said before standing up.

"Hold on. Who are you?" Shino asked.

"A friend that can help. Just don't do anything stupid." He left some money on the counter, even though he never ate his ramen, before leaving.

"Who was that?" Hinata asked.

"I'm not sure, but I have to wonder…." Shino responded as some of his bugs crawled from the ground and back onto his body.

*break*

Naruto had spent the last hour-and-a-half walking towards the Valley of the End. He had been forced to sneak out through one of the four main gaits to avoid detection via the barrier. It had taken some time, but he had finally reached what he was looking for. In the middle of this clearing was a small desert with white spike protruding from the ground across the entire expanse of the clearing. One in particular caught his eye. It had a pale skinned man with white hair and a lance like protrusion coming from his arm. His name was Kimimaro. He was not in his curse mark form and was hanging limply there, dead. Naruto noticed something off. He walked in between the spikes and got closer before using his chakra to walk up next to the body. He was right, there was something off. His curse mark was missing. When Naruto had met him the mark was right below his neck. Now it was missing.

'_A mark like this doesn't just disappear. I'm going to need to look into this. I was already going to take the body just in case, but now I have reason to.' _Naruto thought before making quick work of Kimimaro's bones. Once the body was out there was still some bone encasing parts of him but it didn't matter, as Naruto sealed his body in a scroll. _'You said that this was all to repay Orochimaru because he gave you a purpose. Your debt has been paid and now I wonder….' _Naruto thought before leaving the clearing.

*break*

Naruto was currently sanding in a large clearing far from the village. His plan was to see what he still had access to. He had several clones fan out across a large area to make sure no one could see what he was about to do. Quickly he bit his thumb before flashing through hand seals and pushing his hands to the ground. Within seconds he was once again standing on top of the chief toad.

"What do you want Naruto?"

"I want to talk with you." Naruto said with a knowing smirk. He jumped of the toad and landed in front of him before turning around and facing him. "I want to know if Jiraiya has talked to you recently."

"No, he hasn't. Why?"

"Because I was betrayed."

*break*

It was currently the day of Naruto's execution and he was standing in the plaza waiting for the clone to be brought out. He had made sure that Kamaji had sealed his home and the Uzumaki mask temple in scrolls and hade everything packed into smaller scrolls for transportation. He then Kamaji and Karin waiting for him at the eastern gate. During their time in the cabin the three Uzumaki had grown closer together and had talked about their lives. Kamaji had even told them about how wonderful Uzushiogakure had been.

They waited there a few moments before he saw his friends and everyone else pour in for what was going to happen. He had long since talked to Sakura and the others. It made him sick what they thought of him. The only one of the Konoha 12 who didn't hate him, apart from his friends, was Lee. Lee didn't know what to think. He hated the kyuubi, but wasn't sure what to think of its warden.

Then the show started. As the clone was forced to go up to his execution point Naruto turned and went to wait at the eastern gate. When he got there he found Kamaji and Karin wearing travelling cloaks just like him. Each one had sealing scrolls strapped to the insides of their cloaks. They stood there waiting for a few minutes before noticing a small group headed towards them. Hinata and Shino were at the front of the group. They were the people Naruto had seen in the crowd. The group was Konohamaru and his team, Neji, Shino, and Hinata. He could trust so few. He would need to come back for Anko though.

When they got closer Neji was the first to speak up. "Who are you, and how did you know that would happen?"

"I can't tell you right now. Follow me. We're going to go up the road to an inn. Once we're there I will tell you. You can follow me or you can stay here." He said before turning ad walking away. The group quickly followed him. However, he only got a few yards outside the gate before turning around and placing his hand outward palm out. It looked like he was placing it against an invisible wall. The air was distorted momentarily before it stopped and looked like glass shattering.

"There, now let's keep moving." Naruto said before turning to keep going. He and the group didn't get far before seven shinobi landed in front of them, blocking their path.

"Are you the one who destroyed the barrier?" one of them asked. The fact that that was what the man had done when distorting the air shocked the group following him, apart from the two other Uzumaki he had been living with for the past few weeks. They had already known what he was going to do. The only thing they didn't know was what he was going to do once they had left Konoha.

"Unfortunately for you, yes I was." Naruto said before unsealing his sword. It took little time, and little resistance, before Naruto had dispatched them all. They were all either dead or bleeding out and about to die. Those that were dying he delivered a coup de grace by swiftly decapitating them. Naruto had simply caught them off guard and acted too quickly for them to act. He hated needing to kill, but he didn't have a choice. At least his anger at the village dulled the pain.

"Now, let's keep moving."

*break*

Naruto was currently sitting down in a chair with his friends in front of him. He quickly pulled off his hood and enjoyed every moment of their shocked expressions.

"I am Naruto Namikaze Uzumaki, son of the Yondaime. I was never imprisoned. They always had a clone in their possession. I have been planning for things like this for quite some time. I can't go into details, but I would like it if you could join me."

Konohamaru was the first to speak. "Wait, You're the son of the Yondaime?!" Naruto nodded. "Well, that answers all of my questions."

"So, what do you say?"

"You can guarantee that Shino and I will come with you." Hinata said, Shino nodded in agreement.

"Well, what about the rest of you?"

The rest of them shared a look. Neji spoke up. "I think it would be best if I stayed. I might hate everyone now, but if I can change some of their opinions of you that might work in your favor."

"I agree." Konohamaru spoke up. "As the Sandaime's grandson I should also be able to influence some things. Not to mention Asuma. He and a few of the Sensei who were against what they did to you could help with making things easier."

"Yes, that might be. If it takes long enough for me to come back, you might become Hokage. Then I would have no need to destroy the place. Alright, I will be coming back for some people. Anko being one of them."

"Yeah, Ayame and her father wanted me to tell you something." Hinata said. "They w-wanted me to tell you that when you find a new place for the time being, you should tell them so that they can take their business there."

"Neji, tell them thank you for me. However, you all need to get back soon. This area will be crawling with whatever ANBU Tsunade didn't send towards Iwa like they think I'm going. I should also get going. My other travelling companions and I need to leave soon."

Neji spoke up. "Yes, who are they anyways?"

"They are part of the Uzumaki clan. The fact that my mother was from this clan is how I was able to remove the barrier. I had my clones working on a massive project not too long ago and fuinjutsu." He told them how the uzumaki clan was scattered and the other two travelling with him were part of it, just like him. He also told them about his mother and his father, the kyuubi attack, as well as the Uzumaki clan's prowess in the art of fuinjutsu. He had opted out of telling him what his mother and father had been able to compile at the last minutes of their lives. During the last few minutes of their lives they had written a scroll telling him that someone claiming to be Madara Uchiha was behind the attack. He figured that leaving that out for the time being would be better.

As they started leaving Neji stopped. "Naruto, I hope that one day we can stand on the same side of the battle field. When you come back, you can expect me to stand by your side." Naruto thanked him and bid him Farwell. Naruto went to the back exit with Hinata and Shino following him. When they got there they found Karin and Kamaji waiting.

"Alright, we need to keep moving. This area will have the ANBU all over it soon. I managed to through them off by telling them that I was headed to Iwa. It should take them quite a while to relies they were duped. Once it hits night we'll find an in and try to stay hidden as we keep moving." Naruto said. The others agreed without a second thought. Naruto was the one who came up with the plans. He had proven that already when he had managed to trick all of Konoha with only a few words.

*break*

Neji and the others were headed back to Konoha when they ran into the ANBU. One of them with a rat mask spoke up. "What are doing here?"

Neji quickly came up with an excuse. "We saw some suspicious people leaving the village after making the air distort. We went to check it out because everyone else was busy with Naruto escaping. However, even with m byakugan, they managed to get away." The ANBU seamed skeptical but didn't see any reason for him to lie.

"Get back to the village and report. We're going to keep looking and try to find them." The rat mask said before they all took off.

*break*

Later that night Naruto and his group were sitting in a room at an in. While Karin and Kamaji didn't need to do much to keep themselves hidden, Naruto knew that he, Shino, and Hinata needed to keep their identities concealed or there would be problems. While Naruto's hair was naturally spiky, it didn't take much effort to brush it into a straighter position with some of it sticking out it places. When that was done he had dye his hair a dark red. He had figured that this fit him more. He had also used a small amount of makeup to cover his whisker like birth-marks. He was currently sticking to his black shirt, black pants, and travelling cloak. He had destroyed his hitai-ate during his month back in Konoha and had his traveling companions do the same to theirs.

While he had done this Hinata had dyed her hair white and used contacts they were able to buy when they were passing through the town they were staying in. the contacts left her with eyes that were now brown instead of her featureless white. However, it left her with a white pupil that gave her a different and exotic appearance. She had also added her own brown traveling cloak to her current attire.

Shino had the least change. He had opted to keep his gasses and traded his old jacket for a dark grey one that now went down to his knees, had a hood, and had long sleeves that left almost none of his hands uncovered. However, he decided to keep his hands in his pockets most of the time. His shirt was now black and came up to cover has nose and below, and came down almost to his ankles. What you could see of his pants were black and concealed all but his feet, which were concealed by his shoes. The less that people sew of him, the less they would recognize him.

Now that they had made sure it was almost impossible to be recognized they got ready to rest. They were going to be travelling most of tomorrow. Before going to sleep Naruto created a clone.

"Go tell them were on our way. Give us a few more days and we'll be there." The bunshin gave his salute before taking off. Naruto laid down and drifted off to sleep.

*break*

They had been travelling for the past few days and had little to no trouble. They had run into a few bandits but they were of little consequence. However, Naruto now had them where he wanted to be. They were now in a small village at the southernmost point of the Land of Hot Water. Naruto already knew where to meet with Tayuya since the bunshin had discussed when and where to meet him. Some of the sound-nin were staring to become impatient but the sound four had kept them in line.

When the group got into the village they walked to a small stand where Tayuya was supposed to be waiting for them. They walked inside and saw her sitting there.

"It's about time you got here. What took you so long?" Tayuya said while standing up. She had nearly killed his clone when it had gotten there a few days ago. She had actually not seen who she was talking to back when she was imprisoned in Konoha. The clone had told her he would be coming with a few people that could be trusted.

"It took some time for me to get away from Konoha. Anyways, could you lead me to the rest of them?"

"Sure." She said walking back out the stand. The sound-nin were to numerous to stay in the small village and had to set up a camp outside of it. It had taken the Naruto clone a while to find them.

Now it simply took them a few minutes of walking through the woods to get to the camp. Naruto was amazed at the number of sound-nin that had followed along. Tayuya quickly took him through the now gathering crowd to the center of the camp so that he could meet with the rest of the sound four. He could see the question in all of their eyes. Who are these people?

"Why are we surrounded with Sound-nin?" Hinata asked.

"I helped them get here. I'm hoping that this will give us some extra allies." Naruto responded in a whisper.

It took a few moments but Naruto wasn't disappointed to see the rest other three from Tayuya's elite team.

"Their here." Was all Tayuya said.

"Are you telling me that we've been waiting here all this time for them?" Kidomaru asked.

Naruto decided that now was the time to get into the conversation. "Yes, my group and I are the ones you have been waiting on."

"Why is that?" Sakon asked.

"Because I'm the one who broke you out of that Konoha prison and saved you from the literal chopping block." This shut up everyone who could hear them. "Not to mention that a few sentences from me has most of their forces scrambling around like idiots. And I was able to bring down the sensory barrier around that village. These all lead me to the last reason. I'm here to offer you all new lives." Naruto said before standing on top of a rock and turning to address the shinobi in front of him.

"How do all of you like being out of those cells that Konoha had you staying in?" Naruto asked. His answer was a collection of small murmurs in the crowd. "I was the one who got you out of there, and now I'm here to offer you all a new home where you can still live as shinobi as you want to or as civilians if you wish. I intend on awakening the home of my clan so that I can correct a mistake made a long time ago." Kamaji's face turned to one of shock. This was why they were so close to the Land of Whirling Tides. Naruto intended to resurrect Uzushiogakure. "I, Naruto Namikaze Uzumaki, son of the Fourth Hokage and his wife Kushina Uzumaki, and the man about to rule Uzushiogakure, will create something new out of this world. However, I need people behind my cause to make it succeed. For helping you, all I ask is that you give me a chance."

"Why should we join you?" one of the random voices in the crowd asked.

"Well, you could go back to Orochimaru. But do you really think that he cares? He could have gotten you all out. In case you all forgot, he has a jutsu that allows him to merge into the ground. To him you are nothing more than replaceable tools."

They knew it was true. They couldn't argue with the logic of it. "So I ask that you help me forge our own path, together. I ask that you stand beside me as we do this, so that everyone else will follow."

Then Tayuya spoke up. She had her arms folded in front of her and looked smug. "I for one agree with the fool. Orochimaru left us behind. I say we give him a chance." Naruto turned to look at her, giving a smile.

"I agree." Jirobo said. "We were left behind."

With those two backing him it was only a matter of time as most of the group started to agree with him. In the end he had the sound four on his side and all but a few sound jounin, and even fewer chunin, walked away. They had decided to leave. Some went back to Orochimaru, and others went to enjoy their freedom from all parties involved. Most of that second group just wanted to go to one of the far away countries as far away from all this as they could. It was the ones that wanted to return to Orochimaru that Naruto had a problem with. They were the ones he was waiting for. While he told them that they could leave, he had never told them that if they left to rejoin Orochimaru they would never leave the forest alive. Naruto had clones waiting out of hearing range from the camp, waiting for any who wanted to go back to the sannin. Naruto now had the numbers he needed to start putting things into action.

"Good. Now that you have all decided to give me a chance, let's get moving." It was still the middle of the day. "Make your way to the docks. I will have a ship waiting for us so that we can go to our new home." Before Naruto had left he had also cleaned out his family's accounts and used it to purchase The Land of Whirlpools' first ship.

*break*

Naruto was currently standing on the bow of his new ship. The ship was painted black and had black sails. He had gotten it for a bargain. The legends said it was a ship with black sails that's crewed by the damned, and captained by a man so evil that Hell itself spat him back out. The ship was called the Black Pearl. Back to where Naruto was standing. He was currently standing on the bow of the ship with his hands placed against an invisible, yet quite solid, wall. This was the barrier of the Land of Whirling Tides.

"Kamaji, you're sure you can set it back up without killing everything on the island?"

"Yes, the wave of death spread out from one seal, while the barrier originated from another seal. However, they work on a system. If the killing wave activates so does the barrier. This works to keep out others once the wave is gone. On the other hand, the barrier can be activated without the killing wave going off."

"Good. Time to right an old wrong." Naruto said before his palms started to glow. The air rippled along the barrier before the entire dome appeared to shatter and disappear.

"You know, there was never an Uzukage because this village was never one of the main five villages. Now, it will become one of the most powerful places on earth. That is why I will become the first ever Uzukage. The First Whirlpool Shadow. The Shodaime of a new and powerful place." Naruto said before dropping his travelling cloak in the water. He turned and bent down to pick up a folded, white, and soft cloth. He quickly unfolded it and put it on to reveal a short-sleeved long white haori. On its back, in between the shoulders, was the Uzumaki clan Symbol with a red outline and black filling it in. Up the spine was the lettering for Shodaime Uzukage. Along the bottom were black flame-like motifs. Many of them there thought of the Yondaime Hokage as the new cloak billowed around him in the wind. Naruto was right. The world was about to change.

*break*

A man was currently walking down a small road. The man was dressed completely in white. White pants, white shirt, white robe, and a white cloth tied around his robe at the waist. He also had a sword that stuck out. The scabbard was black, the blade, pommel, simple disk guard, and handle were all black. The man seemed to be slightly tanned, with grey eyes, and green hair that fell both down the front of his shoulders and his back down to just above his waist. As he was walking he took notice of two figures up ahead. They seemed to be wearing the same outfit and one seemed to be trying to block out the other who was yelling. They were Kakazu and Hidan.

"Come on Kakazu! It's been so long since I killed someone!"

"You just did an hour ago." Kakazu responded in a bored tone.

"Well, let's find a place to stop so I can do it again I need- Wait, I can kill him." Hidan said, taking notice of the man walking towards them. When the man got closer Hidan took off to try and kill him. Having already heard the Hidan's intentions because of his yelling he stopped. He calmly stretched his arm out away from him with his palm facing Hidan. He clenched his fingers so that it looked like he was trying to grab something. The moment Hidan got within five feet of the man there was instantly a large pillar of light. The pillar seemed to originate from the man and consumed Hidan.

Kakazu was forced to shield his eyes with his forearm. When everything cleared Hidan was gone and the man seemed unchanged aside from being slightly hunched over, sweating, and breathing as if he had just run for several days straight. Kakazu looked around but couldn't see his partner.

"What did you do to him?"

The man responded with a calm voice that sounded tired because of his heavy breathing. "I killed him."

"How? I've been trying to find a way to kill him ever since I met him. Nothing worked."

"Usually when you rip apart all of the atoms that make someone or something up, that object seems to cease existing."

"I've never heard of someone being able to do that." Kakazu saw the man was tired, but knew that anyone who could kill Hidan so easily should just be left alone.

"It is a kekkei genkai. It allows me to go in and change the atomic structure of something. It is difficult to focus and tires out its users rather quickly. Now, since you were trying to kill him, I trust you won't have any trouble letting be by?" The man said, regaining his breath and straightening himself.

Kakazu narrowed his eyes. He was going to get so much crap for this. He started walking moving to the side of the road to signify he wasn't going to bother him. The man also started walking. Before getting out of hearing range the man spoke.

"Kakazu, be warned. The world is about to change." The way he said it almost made Kakazu shiver.

When Kakazu got to his destination he simply activated the seal so that the boulder would move. When he got inside he took his place among the cloaked figures. They were all there. All accept the leader whose face had rearly been seen. He was represented by a hologram along with a female standing next to him.

"Where is Hidan?" The leader asked.

"He tried to kill a man who took three seconds to literally disintegrate him. It would appear that that can kill him." Kakazu responded.

"I see, it will be difficult to replace him. And now, to the business of the kyuubi jinchuriki." Itachi was now paying rapt attention. He had heard something had happened but didn't know what it was yet. "It would appear his village tried to have him executed for holding the kyuubi. However, he was able to trick them and get away. He managed to convince them he was heading west, but out spies have confirmed him heading east with four other people. When we start hunting the jinchuriki again Itachi and Kisame will head east to find and capture him. Other than that our plans are unchanged. For the time being you are dismissed." He said before fading away.

Itachi looked calm and stoic as usual. However, on the inside he wanted to kill whoever was responsible for what happened to Naruto. He wanted some answers.

*break*

Sasuke was finally starting to wake up. He realized he was in a hospital bed. He looked around and saw that the only other person in the room was Neji.

"Neji, what happened? How long have I been out?" he could tell that Naruto stopped him and now he wanted to know what had happened during his unconsciousness.

Neji's face hardened. "You were asleep for five weeks." This much shocked the Uchiha. "As for what happened. Due to the fact that Naruto used so much of the kyuubi chakra during the fight in order to stop you he was set up to be executed. You missed it. His execution was a week ago."

Sasuke was yelling in his mind now. _'What?! That's not possible! He brought me back like he was supposed to! Wait, kyuubi chakra?! He was a jinchuriki?! What the hell?! Wait, he was executed! I missed it! But Neji said it was because of what happened during our fight! If I had listened this wouldn't have happened! I killed him! My friend!' _He could feel his head and eyes burning. He couldn't move. He couldn't release the breath he was holding. Then Neji spoke up again.

"I wondered how you would react to that. What I didn't tell you was that he escaped. He's long gone from the village now." Sasuke released the breath he was holding but could still feel the burning. When he got out of here he was going to talk with some people and the conversation was not going to be pleasant for the receivers of his anger.

**[A/N] Well it would seem that I have only one thing to say about this chapter's word count. IT'S OVER 9000! HAHAHA. Alright. So what do you think about this one? I believe this story is unique because almost every story where Naruto is betrayed Sasuke is a D-bag that you can't wait to see die. Due to the fact that in the canon, and before Sasuke leaves, they were good friends I decided to change it so that Sasuke doesn't wind up like that. I thought that it would be different. Anyways, review and I should have the next chapter out soon. Also, I think I have found some people willing to beta read for me. Hopefully things the chapters will start getting better. Also, the new cover photo is Naruto and his new haori. Until next time.**


	9. Unlocking Uzu and Starting in Mizu

**[A/N] I will be going back and editing chapters. This is because I have found a beta reader. I hope that I can get more than one person to beta read so that less errors make it through as the more people checking the less likely that is. Anyways, I will not be including a whole lot of details about the land of snow because I haven't seen the movie and have limited information on it. I might mention once or twice but I do not intend on it playing a very important part aside from the technology. One final thing. I would like to think my first beta reader, lionheart555. I intend on getting one more just to make sure it's perfect. Anyways, on with the show. I don't own Naruto or any other material.**

Naruto was walking over the rubble of his new home. He could not believe this had been done to his mother's home simply because of fear. It sickened him what people would do out of fear.

"Everyone," He said turning to the ex-oto-nins, "I need you all to start getting together the bodies. Use uniforms to tell if they were Uzu or one of the attackers. Once that's done start moving some of the rubble. I want this country up and running in the next week." Naruto said before producing several hundred clones to help them. "We only just landed on the beach. This might only be an island but it's big enough to be called a nation in its own right. This means we have a lot of work to do and not a whole lot of time. You, sound four, come with me. There is something I want to check. You too Kamaji." It took a few moments for Naruto to have them in a spot farther from the group working on their new task. "Alright, I want you four to show me your curse seals." Naruto said with a blank look in his face. It took some convincing but they showed their necks so he could see the marks, or lack thereof.

"I thought so." Naruto said.

"What is it?" Tayuya asked.

"Your curse seals are gone."

"What the hell did you just say?!" Kidomaru nearly shouted.

"Kamaji, from everything I was able to find on the curse mark and show you, do you think that such a seal could simply disappear?"

"No."

"Then my suspicions were correct." He looked at the four. "I believe you four died."

*break*

Tsunade was currently sitting at her desk. The past few days had been hell, and her winning lottery ticket said that her migraine was only going to get worse. The past few days had been listening to constant babbling about finding Naruto being their top priority.

'What do they think I have those ANBU out doing?! Buying souvenirs from Iwa?!' Tsunade thought to herself. First Naruto had gotten away, then they followed up on the barrier being gone, only to find the rest of the team dead. And then there was all the crap she got because of Naruto claiming Namikaze to be part of his name. It had taken a few hours to assure them it wasn't true.

Then she could feel it. The disturbance that meant her day was about to be shot out the window and down a ten story fall. She braced herself for what she knew was not going to be an enlargement to her current headache, but a new one altogether. Instantly her door was taken off the hinges as it flew passed her head and out the window.

Where her door once stood, now stood Sasuke Uchiha. Make that a twenty story fall. He quickly walked up to her desk and the look in his eyes said bloody murder. She had heard the Uchiha was awake, but she really didn't expect this. Then he opened his mouth.

"What did you do to Naruto?"

"We were getting rid of a-" She was cut off by Sasuke punching his fist on her desk.

"What gave you the right to try and execute him?!"

"He is the jinchuriki of the kyuubi. I simply tried to get rid of a threat."

"You only made him a threat! I found out what he contained from any number of people on the street on my way here! He did his job and could have been the most powerful Ninja ever to be under Konoha's command! Now, after all the times Konoha withstood destruction, Madara, the wars, Naruto will come back and from what I hear he will slaughter everyone here!"

"That is why the ANBU are out looking for him. Hopefully we can take him down before-"

"Are you trying to be funny, or are you just stupid? You can guarantee that if Naruto isn't brought back alive, and treated like I am, I am going to use whatever influence I can to cause as much trouble as possible." Tsunade knew that would be a problem. She hated to admit it but most of the population would give the 'last Uchiha' their support.

"Fine, so long as he doesn't attack I will make sure that the ANBU know not to kill him. Now can you please leave? I already had Hiashi and Shibi in here trying to figure out where their clan heirs have disappeared to, so I'm stretched a little thin with searching for people, and I need to get the Inuzuka out there helping. So could you please leave?"

"You had better head my warning." Sasuke said before turning and leaving. Tsunade was now trying to get rid of her new head ache when it only got worse. Shizune chose that exact moment to walk in with a three foot tall stack of paper work. One she sat it down on her desk Shizune placed one more sheet of paper on top of the stack.

"What is that one?"

"A form to replace the door Sasuke just broke." This day just kept getting worse.

*break*

Naruto was currently travelling with the sound four and Kamaji towards Uzushigakure. They had been travelling for a good hour and Naruto had opted to tell them his thoughts on their missing curse seals after they had reactivated the barrier. Kamaji being an Uzumaki was still able to travel at a rapid pace, despite his lack of travelling in the past few decades. It only took another hour before the hidden village came into sight. While it was only an island, it was large enough to not only be considered a nation, but also have its own hidden village. Naruto had to say he was impressed.

The village may have been destroyed, but the structures still stood. If he had to guess, the village had fallen and someone activated the death seal before a whole lot of damage could be done to the village itself. The most outstanding part of the village was the tower in the center.

The tower was much like the tower of any hidden village. The difference was this one seemed more regal and powerful. It was a large, red and black tower with special windows meant for archers to aim bows or crossbows to take down invaders before they could get closer to the tower. The tower was meant for the civilians to take refuge in the underground bunkers during an attack, as well as their seat of power. However, they seemed to have activated the death seal while they could due to the overwhelming force that was converging on them.

Naruto quickly moved through the village so that he could get to the seals and activate the barrier. While they were moving he decided to ask Kamaji a question that had been bothering him.

"Kamaji, why didn't they activate the barrier before the invasion got so bad?"

"There were multiple reasons. The first is that the seals were still in the prototype phase to make sure they were stable and worked. The seals were used when the defenders knew that they were going to lose and must have decided to use them anyways. They must not have had anything to lose and everything to gain from it. Also, all over the island there are small towers loaded with seals. Using these towers a pulse and a burst of light are sent up so that the message can be spread quickly that the Land of Whirlpools is under attack. However, another reason is that, from what I was able to learn from a survivor of the invasion, they had been smuggling in soldiers with the traders. When the attack came five separate armies converged and before they could react they took down the towers and stopped the message from spreading."

"The Uzumaki long ago set up the barrier for Konoha. Why didn't they here?"

"They did. However, most of the invading forces were already on the island. Before anyone could react, and before the main forces landed on the beaches, most of the island had already fallen. The battle was lost before it ever started."

"Well, when we get there I want you to dismantle the death seal for me."

"Why?"

"You said that it was a prototype. I don't want that thing going off while the people under my command are within the range of it."

The conversation went silent after that as they finally got to the tower. They quickly went inside before ascending towards the chamber where the leader would have stayed. With Kamaji it didn't take long to find.

When they got inside Naruto quickly took notice of two things. The first was the two pedestals on the left side of the room. One pedestal had the kanji for death carved into it. The other had the kanji for defense carved into it. Each of them had a sealing array on them.

The other thing Naruto took notice of was a skeleton, wearing the cloths of the Uzumaki elder, lying next to them. He was the one who had activated them.

"Naruto, let me take a look at them." Kamaji said, moving to take a look at the seals.

While Kamaji was looking at the seals the sound four were ready for their answers.

"Alright, spill it. What do you mean you think we died?" Kidomaru demanded. The others were not about to say it like that but were wanting to know the same thing. He waved them over to the desk before sitting down at it. He noticed how alike it was to the Hokage's office. It disturbed him. He was going to need to rearrange some things soon. This village had limited time to get things in order. He pulled himself back to the current conversation.

"I first had this idea back when I found Kimimaro's body. His curse mark was also gone." Naruto said before pulling out a scroll and unsealing it on his desk to reveal kimimaro. "I've been keeping the body in a preservation scroll so it doesn't rot. From what I know, the seals that were on your necks wear meant to use sage chakra. Orochimaru's own body couldn't handle the stress of sage mode. He performed some tests on a member of a clan who used nature chakra without needing to train to do it."

"Jugo." Tayuya interrupted. "The person you're talking about is called Jugo." Naruto nodded before continuing.

"During his experiments he came up with the curse mark. It allows you to trade your own chakra for Orochimaru's sage chakra. However, the seals also sped up healing, much like when Orochimaru loses a limb and snakes re-connect it or heal it in a rapid rate. My guess is that he added something so that it would keep you all alive. He must have valued the results it would yield in his tests. The point is that I think it burnt itself out trying to keep you all alive. If you were dying then the seal might have kicked into overdrive and probably exhausted itself. It burnt out. I don't think it was supposed to though, an unintended feature in the healing aspect of it. You four all died. The seal exhausted itself to regenerate enough to keep you alive. You don't know how you got into your cells because you were completely out of it."

The four were silent until Jirobo asked what they were thinking. "Then why is Kimimaro dead? His seal was more powerful than ours was."

"Because no matter how much the seal might have healed him, the disease eating away at him from the inside was killing him. The seal ran out and he still died because it killed him so much faster than the seal could heal."

Before they could ask another question Kamaji spoke up. "Alright, I managed to disengage the death seal and the barrier is ready to be activated."

"Good, activate it." Naruto said before turning to look out the window. He could see the barrier start to ripple out across the sky before becoming invisible. "Now, let's get to setting this place back up." Naruto said before pulling out a scroll and setting it on his new desk and then making a few shadow clones. "You know what to do. Now let's get to work."

*break*

Sasuke was currently standing in front of the Hokage. "What do you mean they can't find him?"

"The Inazuka were able to pick up a trail heading east, but it went cold before we could get anywhere."

"East-" One of the ANBU tried to speak up.

"I know." Tsunade interrupted.

"What do you mean east?" Sasuke asked.

"The day that Naruto's clone left the barrier team reported less than twenty minutes later that someone at the eastern gate brought sown the barrier."

"How is that possible?"

"We don't know. What we do know is that very few people know about it being down, so very few people know that we are vulnerable. Let's just hope it stays that way.

*break*

Things in Uzu had been going well. Naruto had several dozen clones in every direction rebuilding what little they could, not to mention all the oto-nin also working to rebuild. They had managed to set up in the hidden village and start working out from there, managing to set up housing and other things that would be necessary. Naruto had also had some of the clones start working on crops with the seeds he had brought in his scrolls. They really were the most useful things. Now here they were a week-and-a-half later.

Naruto was currently standing in his office with Kamaji, the sound four, Hinata, and Shino. He was about to do something he had already promised he would do.

"Kamaji, is there any way to open a small and temporary opening in the barrier, or at least make the barrier seal portable, yet still keep the barrier in the same place? I don't want to bring down the entire barrier just for a few people to leave."

"Give me a couple of days and I believe I could alter it enough that I would be able to synchronize with one single node between the main seal and a potable seal so that you can open a small pathway though it, bring it down entirely, or bring it up if it's down."

"Thank you. If you could start working on that now I would appreciate it." Naruto said before looking at the others. "You six are coming with me when he's done. We're going to Wave country."

Sakon spoke up. "What about the others? They might go out of control without us here."

"My clones will keep them company. Besides, when I was in Konoha I had the clones working on a project. A little longer and it will be complete. Here soon, the world will know that Uzushiogakure is back on the rise, and that the coming storm is going to raze everything in its path."

*break*

Naruto was currently sitting in his home. He had wondered where to put it and discovered the perfect place for his home to be placed. He had placed it in a small clearing behind the newly dubbed Uzukage tower.

He was sitting in his library with several dozen clones working behind him. He sat there with his eyes closed before opening them and finding himself in front of a giant cage with and equally large fox.

"It has been a while."

"**That it has. I wondered when you would be back."**

"You know what's about to happen. From the research I was able to do you know why I need some of your chakra."

"**Yes, the Mizukage and his own tenant."**

"Will I be able to count on you during this?"

"**Why should I help you? I simply helped you back in Konoha to see what you would do."**

"I'm going there whether you help me or not. If you let me die, your death is your own fault. So, is self-preservation a good enough reason for you?"

The large fox grumbled at his host. **"You are beginning to tax my patience."**

"And your grumpy refusal to help me simply because of your own pathetic anger is starting to tax mine." Naruto snapped back. "One day I really am going to have to help you get rid of it."

"**Hmmm…Fine. Do with it as you wish. It's not like your giving me any choice in the matter."**

"You really are funny sometimes. You always have a choice." The fox looked at him questioningly. "You could sit there and die with me."

"**No. If you die I can't watch Konoha be destroyed."**

"Believe what you wish. By the way, what is your name?"

"**What do you mean?"**

The ichibi is also known as Shukaku. Certainty he's not the only one with a name.

"**You really are insufferable. Fine, my real name is Kurama."**

"Well Kurama, one day I really am going to do something about your anger issues." Naruto said before disappearing.

*break*

Naruto was standing in the library of the main tower in Uzushio. In front of him was a large scroll with flame motifs and metal flames on the ends. He opened it to show hundreds of signatures and finger prints in blood. it was a summoning contract. A contract that had only ever been signed by Uzumaki. He wasted no time and quickly signed the contract before preforming a summoning jutsu. He was not expecting to pop into existence in such a strange place. He was standing on a platform that was part of a bridge. On either end of this bridge were caves. Before he could try to figure out where he was he heard a low, almost ancient sounding voice.

"Do you know what sets this summoning contract apart from any other?" it asked. Naruto shook his head no. "Our contract is not simply valid based on whether or not you signed a piece of paper. It is based on whether or not we find you worthy. Why are you here?"

"To make the home that once belonged to my clan powerful once again, and to gain the power needed to do what I must."

"And what must you do, young Uzumaki?"

"Protect my friends, to protect my new home, to fulfil my promise to Zabuza and end the war in Mizu no Kuni, and to destroy Konoha. I know that later there will be other things I must do, and be prepared for, and when the time comes I want to have what I need to do them."

"Hmmmm….And what would you do if you were refused here?"

"I would try to find another way."

"Another way to gain power?"

"Another way to do the things I need to do. If power is needed to do them, then so be it."

"And what if power corrupts you, like it has so many others?"

"I honestly don't know. I will fight it. I will try to make sure it doesn't happen. If it does, then I hope I die doing what I know is right. I hope that I die a hero, before I live to see myself become the villain."

His only response was for the ground to start shaking. Before he could react a large figure flew from one of the caves and surrounded Naruto before a blinding light engulfed him. When he opened his eyes he was back in the library, the word worthy echoing in his mind.

*break*

Naruto and his team were currently walking in Wave, walking towards Tazuna's home. For now the sound four were wearing travelling cloaks to keep from them being seen, though Naruto had his Uzukage robe sealed for now. Naruto had used the few days before they had left in order to get to know his new generals. When learning about their abilities, and how they had come to be Orochimaru's pawns, he had quickly realized that they would be some of the names known to his village.

Jirobo and Tayuya had similar stories. They were taken from their families at such a young age that they couldn't remember their relatives. Over the years they had grown to like their new home.

The other members told him that while they had clans, they no longer remembered them. Kidomaru had been forced to sign the spider contract of his clan the moment he could write. He also told that he had been born with his spider like features and abilities, and believed them to be clan traits.

Sakon and Ukon had stated that their own clan had taught by merging with other members and building muscle memory. Granted they still needed to build the muscle on their own to use said memory. Apparently they could not merge with other people without the enhancements brought on by the curse seal. Due to their defeat the two brothers were travelling separately so that Ukon could become stronger and help his brother even more in battle.

Hinata and Shino had also become his own private team. Much like the three sannin who fought Hanzo the Salamander, they would become the three who lead the charge on the day Konoha fell. They had even taken a moment to develop a strategy that Naruto believed would guarantee them victory in any small fight.

However, Naruto cleared his musings from his mind as he knocked on Tazuna's door. He was almost shocked to see Zabuza open the door without the bandages covering his face. Naruto thought that him wearing civilian clothing was the most shocking thing.

Then he spoke. "Yeah, what is it?" He asked, taking in Naruto's cloths and face.

"You don't remember me Zabuza? I'm hurt." Naruto said with mock sadness. "I told you I would contact you soon."

Then Zabuza widened his eyes a little. "Naruto? What happened ti your hair? You came by a few weeks ago with that clone and you were still a blonde."

Naruto chuckled. "Well, from what I can tell you didn't panic. Good, that means you know when what I'm saying should be taken seriously. Now are you going to let us in?"

Zabuza quickly moved to let them all in. The other residents of the house took a moment and some reminding, But quickly recognized Naruto. Naruto and his group, along with Zabuza, sat down once the hellos were done. Naruto looked around to see Tazuna, Zabuza, Haku, Tsunami, and Inari.

"Good. You can remove your hoods now." The Uzu four quickly complied and pulled them back. Naruto quickly went through the introductions. "Now, I'm sure you would like to know why I told you not to cut ties with Konoha and raise trouble." His response was a series of nodding. "Well, the answer is simple. They don't need you. This makes cutting ties with them pointless."

"What do mean?" Tazuna asked.

"Konoha was doing fine before you. You, however, are still getting this place back up to speed. I want you to keep working with them until it becomes one of their everyday things. I want them dependent on you. Then, when the time comes to strike, you simply break all ties with them. No more supplies, no more communication, nothing. That way they don't have time to recover from the loss before I strike."

Zabuza nodded. "That is a good plan. But I have to ask, what are your plans for now?"

"My main reason for coming here was to get you Zabuza. I am about to go handle the problem in Mizu No Kuni." Zabuza looked shocked.

"With you being on the run from Konoha, how do you intend to do that?"

"Simple. I intend on making the enemy to shocked to react before I have them by the balls." Naruto said in in a confident tone.

*break*

The man was currently walking down an ally with his hood down. He had dark brown, almost black, hair that stretched down just past his shoulders and was slightly curly. He also had brown eyes. His skin was tan and he had a look of apathy on his face. His head was all you could see with the rest of him concealed under his dark, black, and tattered cloak.

His face changed to one of disgust as he looked to his right. It was not disgust at what he saw, but towards the fact that such things happened in this world. It truly needed to be changed. He stopped and looked. There was a woman sitting there. She was bruised, naked, cold, raped, and left to die. He removed his cloak to reveal his equally black clothing before moving towards her. He put his cloak over her shoulders before sitting next to her.

Then he spoke. "This world… truly is terrible isn't it. People kill, torture, rape, pillage, and destroy like it's nothing more than a game. It truly disgusts me how people simply don't care. My family was slaughtered by people who did it because they could. I was only a child. Anyone I asked for help simply turned away. A few people gave me looks of pity or the spare change in their pockets. But then I realized something. There are so few good people in this world that I truly was lucky. A woman with straight, black, and short hair that nearly touched her shoulders and with glasses came up to me. I will never forget her, what she did, or the fact that she never told me her real name; I simply called her Natalia Kaminski. I don't know why. She took me, clothed me, fed me, and most importantly, trained me. She taught me that unless you try to change the world nothing will ever happen. So I took her training, and found the people responsible for the death of my family. I killed them all, all but the leader. He didn't even recognize me. When I was about to kill him he begged me for his life, asked why I was doing it. I told him the same thing he told me back then. 'Because I can.' And then I killed him." The woman looked at him shakily. He looked her in the eye. "So, would you like to stay here, or would you like to come with me?"

*break*

Later that day the man had his generals in a long meeting room. He had made sure that the woman was given some cloths and a place to stay. He currently had another, yet exactly the same, cloak on with the hood up covering his features. Giza and Meizu were in there armor and ready to move.

Among them was Angela. She was a slender woman who wore dark blue pants with small armor platelets on her thighs, a shirt the same color resting underneath a black metal breastplate that sported several serrated edges, as well as small spikes on the shoulders to make close combat more dangerous. She had a broad sword strapped to her back that was four feet long, less than a quarter on and inch thick, and a foot wide. It was meant for using its size to add momentum to her already powerful swing so that it could easily cut enemies in half. Her eyes were purple with spots of red floating in the iris. Her hair was a notable feature as it was a dark green and fell down her back and the front of her shoulders. He had found her in a similar situation to the one he had been in. Raiders had attacked their family while they were travelling and she was the only survivor. He slaughtered the raiders and took Angela with him.

The other generals were also ready for what was about to happen. "Greetings friends; the time has come to change everything. Pack what you need and get everyone ready. We're going to Mizu No Kunai."

*break*

Naruto was currently walking through the forest and looking for the location he had found on a map. The he found it he pulled a scroll out of his cloak and unraveled it. The kanji in the center said people. He had the brilliance idea and had tried it on shadow clones before convincing Zabuza to be his guinea pig. He quickly activated the seal before he was surrounded with fifty-eight people wearing Uzu hitai-ates. Eight of these were his two friends, the new Uzu four, and Zabuza with Haku. Naruto had talked to the last two and it would seem that Zabuza had over time come to except Haku as a son-like figure in his life, never having had a family himself.

Everyone in the group looked like they would be ill at any moment. "Alright, we'll rest here for now before heading out. Be ready to move in a couple of hours." Naruto could feel it. The power of Uzushiogakure was on the rise. After this they would gain allies.

*break*

Naruto was standing across the road and watching as some kiri-nin attacked a man claiming he had a kekkei genkai. The man could hardly stand. Several areas had been suffering from poverty, and therefor starvation, sue to the war. As one of the shinobi went to punch the man Naruto was instantly there and grabbed the kiri-nin's wrist.

"That is quite enough." Naruto said. During his rush over to stop what was going on he had put on his haori.

The mist ninja looked at him like he was insane. "You have a death wish kid?"

"Only for your death." Naruto said before giving a signal. Instantly the entire team of kiri-nin was dead, aside from the one Naruto still had by the arm. The man was now shaking. He was just a chunin and had the blade of Zabuza Momochi at his neck. Naruto smirked. "Go spread the word. I don't care who you spread it to, just get it done."

"What word?"

"Tell them… Tell them that the Uzukage is here." Naruto said before letting go of the man's wrist and watching as he scrambled to get away as fast as he could. This was going to be the first step. Naruto didn't have enough power to confront the Mizukage and his forces. He needed to get into contact with the rebel forces here. That required making a scene and hoping that he was able to find this Mei Terumi before the Mizukage acted as if he was a real threat.

*break*

Mei was sitting in a tent reading a report she had just been brought. "You're sure this is reliable?"

"Yes, the man came stumbling in to the pub yelling about the Uzukage and Zabuza. And then there was the report of the destroyed outpost. Not even twenty people were stationed there but it was ripped apart. One survivor was left mumbling the same thing about the Uzukage."

"I see. I want someone out there trying to make contact with this Uzukage character."

"Are you sure that's a good idea?"

"He attacked small groups. If he could he would have attacked larger and more important places. He doesn't have much power, but that's why he's making a scene. He wants to attract our attention so that we can join up with him. I want you to take a few teams and send them out now. We might need this Uzukage before long. That, and he is travelling with Zabuza. We can use the added muscle." The solder nodded before disappearing to get his orders completed.

*break*

Naruto was heading as fast as he could towards the coordinates giving the location of the rebel camp. He had been contacted not too long ago but his scouts had reported a problem. The camp was under attack. From what they could gather, the Mizukage's forces had captured a team and tortured the location out of them. Then it came into sight. The camp was in chaos. He didn't hesitate to give the orders.

"Kill every one under the Mizukage and kill them. Bring me a survivor I want information and to send a message." Quickly his fifty shinobi fanned out. The Uzu-four took on their own segment of the battle field. They no longer had their seals, but that didn't mean they weren't still effective. Zabuza and Haku also tore through the Mizukage's troops. Naruto and his own team lead the charge with Shino sending in a tidal wave of his insects. Once they were in he also got close to deliver some brutal taijutsu blows to the distracted enemies. Hinata was moving from enemy to enemy, disabling their arms or legs as she went. Naruto rushed in with twenty clones all wielding their swords. The real one had his sword in his right hand and charged a rasengan in his left.

He charged in and shoved his rasengan through someone before pushing his sword through the created hole to impale another through the already dead solder. Instantly he retracted and bent backwards to avoid a blade aiming for his head. He dispatched his attacker before charging in to injure any enemy he could. He quickly amputated limbs and in some cases delivered coup de grass. The he saw the person that he was here for. The person these rebels were rallying behind.

Mei had been having a rough time. Her kekkei genkai giving her an advantage. However, a lucky kunai had cut her arm as she was about to finish off an enemy shinobi, causing her to leave an opening for him to kick her away before raising his sword to finish her off. He never got the chance as just above his left shoulder down to his right second rib were severed from the rest of him. Where that man once stood, now stood Naruto with his robe flapping in the wind.

She quickly got up and got ready to fight. "You're the Uzukage?"

"And you are Mei Terumi. We can deal with introductions later." Naruto said before bringing his sword across the chest of an enemy who had been foolish enough to simply charge right in with only a kunai. With Naruto's forces catching the Mizukage's own by surprise the battle didn't last much longer. Mei turned to get some answers from Naruto before he told her to wait a moment. His team, Zabuza, Haku, and the Uzu-four quickly converged on his location before a few of his shinobi brought a struggling and captured Kiri-nin in front of him.

"Sir, we were able to capture three others incase this one doesn't cooperate." They pointed towards the other three close by.

Naruto nodded. "You will go out and deliver a message to anyone who will listen. That includes your Mizukage. Tell him that the Uzukage is here and tell anyone and everyone what happened here."

"Never."

Naruto put a kunai at the man's thought. "Hurry up, I only need one of you and there are three others waiting." The man spit at Naruto. Naruto wiped it off before waving his hand. They took him away before they could hear the man start screaming. He could see the other three cringe when thee screems abruptly stopped with the sound of bones breaking.

He waver his hand again and they brought the next one. "Now, you will-"

"Tell everyone I can about what happened here today. Got it." The man quickly got out before Naruto could finish.

"Good. Take him to the edge of the camp and make sure he goes." They nodded. "And you two?" He asked looking at the other two. They immediately started nodding their heads rapidly. He loved getting results. "Take them out to the edge and do the same." He said before turning to look at Mei. It took a few moments but she put her shock behind her.

"Wait, your letting them go?"

"I want the Mizukage afraid of me. I want his forces afraid of me. It's about time I started making my enemies fear me. Also, do you think my own shinobi could be taken care of while you and I have a chat?"

She waved some men over and told them to find some things for the Uzukage's forces before leading him and his group to a tent. Along the way they picked up two people. They were two of Mei's personal body guards, Ao and Chojuro. They had been separated during the attack.

Naruto, Mei, and their respective groups wear now sitting at a table in a tent.

"So you are this Uzukage I've been hearing about?" Naruto nodded. "I expected someone-"

"Older?"

"Taller." Mei said. "So now what?"

"Well, considering that we both wasn't to take down Yagura, I would say we should work together."

"And what stake do you have in this, and who are you?"

"I already told Zabuza and Haku that I would come here and help end the war."

"Is that it? You told someone you would and have no other reason?" Mei asked, wondering if he was insane.

"I have other reasons. Zabuza, you said you wanted some answers. Her are a few of them. As to my reasons, I know that Yagura is a jinchuriki. I want to know if I can bring him out of whatever madness has consumed him."

"Ao has already confirmed he is under a genjutsu, this means there is someone more dangerous we need to worry about. But, you want to help him?"

Naruto smiled. "Only to get out of the darkness. I hope that doing so will gain me another ally. I already have the jinchuriki of the one tails as my friend. It took a little convincing to show him a better path. Hopefully I can gain all of the jinchuriki as allies."

"Why on earth would you want to do that?" Ao spoke up.

"The answer is very simple. I myself am the jinchuriki of the kyuubi." Instantly the only people in the tent who weren't tense were Hinata and Shino. They were wondering what was going to happen now. Mei was the first to speak again.

"So, you still haven't answered the question of who you are."

"That's right. My name is Naruto Namikaze Uzumaki, the Shodaime Uzukage, leader of the Land of Whirling Tides, jinchuriki of the kyuubi, and son of the Yondaime Hokage." Everyone was speechless. The Mei burst out in laughter.

"The Yondaime didn't have son, and Uzushiogakure is behind a barrier. I can assume that the Yondaime died sealing the kyuubi into you-"

"And what better person to seal it into than your newborn son? As for Uzu no Kuni, an Uzumaki put it up. What better way for it to come down than by the hands of an Uzumaki." She could tell he was being completely serious. "So, would you like to get to work on ending this war?"

Mei smiled. Neither she, nor anyone else in that tent apart from Naruto and his first two friends, could have guessed who would be helping end this war.

**[A/N] Alright, so the war in Mizu is starting. Sorry this one came out so much later than usual. Anyways, chapter one should be updated so take a look. Also, I will add more detail about the man in the dark robe and his generals later. Currently I am hoping to slowly introduce more character development for him as time goes on. Until next time.**


	10. The War and Meetings

**[A/N] Good news everyone. CHAPTER TEN IS FINALLY AT HAND! THE WAIT IS FINALLY OVER! Sorry it took so long to get chapter ten out. I lost my jump drive when I was almost done with it. HOLY CRAP THAT SUCKED! Anyways, rant now over. First off, a couple of things will be slowing down production of chapters. The first is that I'm trying to go back and update previous chapters. The second is that here soon I will be dealing with a ton of school related crap. Finally, I have a side project in the works. Or I did before it got lost. But I will be getting back to work on it. So, I'm going to try and make sure that I can get everything like it was back in the original version of Ch.10 because I thought it had some of the best quality so far and hate that such hard work would never be seen. So without further ado I present to you the new version of the tenth chapter of the Price of Your Betrayal. Also I don't own Naruto or any of the other stuff. OH! One last thing I almost forgot. I will be introducing some characters and factions from other anime who will have things altered so it can fit in this universe. Why is this important? Because I would like to make it clear that I will not be making this into a crossover. If you have seen the anime they are from you can imagine whatever you like about where they come from as I will not be going to so much detail about them. Granted, I would love to go into my own versions of them for this, however, that would be too much work for something that will just be an overly long, off track set of stories. So if you feel like imagining something that fits with what I leave open you can, but I will not be drowning this story in back-story. Now, as I was saying, on with the show. Also, I have a deviant account now that I will be using to post some pics I draw for the fic. Its name is chroniclerahl. After this chapter and an update on chapter 2 I will post a picture of Naruto's current cloak and another one you will want to see when this chapter is done. I will also add a link to it in my profile in case you can't find it.**

"Now, for the time being I would like it if you would keep my identity among the few of us here."

"Why is that, and why trust us with your identity if you want it to stay hidden?" Mei asked.

"The answer is a simple. I'm trusting you because I need you to trust me. And I want you to keep my identity secret because if it was known I have no doubt that Konoha would cause problems. Not only that, but while Uzu has the barrier, it's still weak, and my allies aren't up to the strength required to fight a war."

"War?"

"Yes, I intend to destroy Konoha because of the fact that they betrayed me. They tried to have me executed."

"Why?" Ao asked. "I know that the jinchuriki are hated, but they are also seen as a village's greatest weapons. To be honest, I myself am a little hesitant to be in the same vicinity as you."

"Because they were fools who focused more on revenge than what truly mattered. In the end it will bring about their destruction. As for keeping my identity secret, if it were found out that I was in Uzushio they wouldn't hesitate come for their weapon once it was confirmed that I somehow was there. Kumo and Iwa would most likely come for the head of the Yondaime's son. Konoha…from what I have been able to gather they are going to try to take me back or kill me if necessary. This poses a problem because of another reason. If people found out that Uzu is back on the rise they would try to stop it before it starts. The barrier is the ultimate shield, but it doesn't matter because we have no way to retaliate. In the end it will turn into a waiting game. My home doesn't have the resources to wait out the elemental nations for long. Eventually we would need resources and trade to survive. We can't do that while being cut off from the rest of the world."

Ao nodded. Naruto was young but clearly understood when it was better to stay out of site, even if that meant holding off on his revenge against the people who betrayed him.

Then Naruto spoke up again. "Along with stopping this massacre and fulfilling a promise, I am also here to gain support."

"Support?" Mei asked.

Naruto sighed. "If I want to change, or do, anything I will need to make Uzu grow into a military and economical powerhouse. However, before it can even get close to that point the barrier will need to come down so that commerce can thrive. That will be the only way to support the population needed to make Uzu strong again. Along with Suna, Yagura, and the ichibi's host Garra, I hope to gain all of Mizu as an ally. Before you ask questions let me explain."

"Currently the situation in Suna is less than favorable for anyone. To help stabilize things Garra's mentor is taking up the position of acting Kazekage. I estimate that here soon he will be officially instated so as to keep all of Kaze no Kuni from being thrown into chaos. However, they are still weak and dependent on Konoha for aid in their recovery. I will not have them break ties with Konoha yet because they need Konoha a lot more that Konoha needs them. Breaking ties will only cause trouble that Suna can't handle rights now."

"Then there is the land of snow. Once I'm done in Mizu I will be heading back to Uzu to remove the barrier for a short time. They have decided to break ties with Konoha because they can more than handle themselves for the time being. They have also agreed to two things. The first is that they will not take action against Konoha until I give the word. The second is that they will send me much needed numbers. Both civilians for helping to build economic growth and to help rebuild, as well as samurai and a few of what little shinobi they have to help in defense if it is ever needed and to send out to build revenue for the village. Though some of them are less than happy about the impending move, even if I have told them that I will try to accommodate them as much as I can. The only problem is that soon I will be limited to the amount of time I can spend outside of the barrier unless I have someone else manage the barrier for me. Although I believe I know the perfect person."

"Now on to the allies I can gain from here. The most important ally in Mizu right now, is you, Mei Terumi."

"Me? What do you mean by that?"

"Your power and resilience make you respected, even among some of the Mizukage's forces if not the Mizukage himself. Not only that, but you are also the leader of the strongest resistance group there is right now. This leads me to the conclusion that when this is all over you will be named the new Mizukage. A new daimyo will probably be named, but only to help maintain stability. You will hold most of the power. However, the main problem will be that this country is still in disarray. It will take a long time for it to recover to a point that it can defend itself."

"So when we finally rebuild, you will call on us to help fight Konoha?"

"If that is how you wish to see it. Though I would like for out nations to be allies regardless."

She sat there thinking for a few moments. "Alright, as long as we can count on some of your support as well, when this war is over I will make our alliance official."

"No, as I said before neither of our countries are suited for defending against anything right now. We should keep our alliance between nations a secret among only the people who need to know about it. Even then it won't stay quiet for as long as we want. Jiraiya will eventually find out with his spy network. Not to mention other problems that I won't go into at this point in time. So for now I would like it if we can keep this between us until it no longer matters"

Mei nodded before standing up and holding out her hand. "Well then, to a new alliance that no one can know about for the foreseeable future."

Naruto stood up and gripped her forearm while she gripped his. "Agreed." He said as they stood there, gripping each other's forearms in a symbol of their newly formed pact.

*break*

Naruto was currently laying down on the cot in his tent. His Uzukage robe was folded next to the bed. He was now only in his black shirt and pants. He had been thinking for a while now.

'_At this point I'm only fourteen, but even can see that I was lucky to have gotten this far. My escape from Konoha was luck. I had no idea that the clone would be maintained for so long. It was only experimental because I knew I needed to speed things along.. Then there was the battle earlier today in the camp. I thought I was going to die a few times there, yet I kept a calm face so that I could seem strong and indestructible. They could not be allowed to see that I was afraid of what could happen. Even the greatest in history could die because of a lucky kunai. So what does that mean for me? I'm stronger than most my age due to the training I had my bunshin undergo for me, but that doesn't mean I'm any more likely to survive.'_ Then he closed his eyes.

When he opened them again he was once again standing in the flooded basement, looking at the fox in a cage.

"**What are you here for now?"**

"I have a question for you Kurama."

"**Of course you do." **He responded sarcastically. **"What is it?"**

"I was wandering about something I found when looking through a library, and something else that has been bugging me. Letting you out and using your forms."

The giant fox raised his right eye brow to show that Naruto had his attention and curiosity.

"From books and reports that I was able to read and find, Garra was not the first to unleash the power of his tenant. The two jinchuriki in Kumo are famous for not only unleashing them, but being able to control and bottle back up the power at will. They can also switch out so that the beasts themselves take over. Then there was Garra, who unleashed his every time he slept because he was no longer holding it back. That is until I reinforced his seal what little I could. I was lucky to make it as strong as I did. I want to know about being able to use your power so that I can have an edge. I have little doubt about two things. One is that Yagura can unleash his at least to some extent. The other thing is that the person controlling him is most likely the person who controlled you fourteen years ago. If I can't use your power against something like that….." He left the rest hanging because it was obvious what he was saying.

After a long pause Kurama reached forward and grabbed the bars with his hands and spoke up again. **"You're right, such a thing could lead to your, and by extension my, death. However, while I have been able to send you chakra, you cannot use the forms that come with it without one or more of two things. The first is the anger that has sent you into the three tailed state in the past. The second is control. Were you to unleash more than three tails without enough control it would overwhelm your mind. This would turn you into a monster with no restraint. These people from Kumo have achieved a level of control over the biju chakra that came from years of work to maintain. Granted you could probably achieve it in record time with the multi shadow clones."**

"And how would I learn to gain that control?"

"**You would need to practice controlling you own mind while unleashing vast amounts of it. Granted, the full details are a lot more complicated than that. At this point you would be able to access the first three tails at the cost of being extremely angry and losing some of your self-control. It loosens the seal and allows me some influence over it. Granted, the same result could come from great amounts of stress."**

"Is there any way to force it?"

"**Not without removing the seal. You aren't ready to do that yet without me taking control. I might be coopering with you now, but only for the interest of my own survival. Remove that seal before you're ready and I will not hesitate to consume you. However, if you are correct and the person controlling him is the same person from all those years ago you will need all the help you can get. He is not Madara. Madara knew he was too strong to be stopped and would not have hidden behind a mask. Not only that, but while that man's chakra felt extensively similar, it was not the same.**

**That is why I will provide you with what I can from behind these bars. Granted, I do believe that when the fight starts it will provide enough stress that I can force enough chakra into your system like I normally do when you're angry. It should push you to or near the first tail state. For now you will have to stick with your current arsenal and training you got from the bunshin. At least you still get the affinity advantage because of me."**

"Yes, because of you being with me for so long I gain your own natural affinities. Wind and Fire. Adds to my own affinities for earth, water, and lightning. That makes things easier for me to gain an advantage, but all the jinchuriki get that. first gets sand and the strange sealing ability, second gets the insane ability for fire, third gets something similar for water, four gets lava which suggests earth and fire, fifth gets steam suggesting water and fire, sixth gets acid, seventh gets an insane ability for wind as well as the ability to manifest chakra wings to glide, hover, and low flying for short periods, eight gets ink, water, and the ability to manifest tentacles for combat, and then you provide with insane fire and wind abilities that match up quite nicely. While I will have certain advantages, there are certain disadvantages I will need to keep an eye on. One of which is lack of experience. However, all things considered, Thank you." Naruto said before turning as if to leave. He didn't miss the fox's surprise at being thanked. Then Naruto stopped. "Mind if I ask where all of your hatred for Humanity came from?"

Kurama hesitated for a moment. **"Perhaps some other time."** Naruto was about to leave before the fox spoke again. **"Perhaps you could tell me what you intend to do with the masks you created."**

Naruto turned his head to show half of his face bearing a psychotic expression. "Perhaps some other time." Naruto said before looking and a giant glass case. Inside of it were several Narutos sitting on shelves with their eyes closed. He gave a small chuckle. "Some other time indeed." He said before disappearing.

When he opened his eyes again he was laying on his cot. While in his mind he left with a psychotic expression, his real face was stoic. He laid there for an hour before he finally decided to drift off to sleep.

*break*

Setsuna F. Seiei was currently walking down the hall of the Sothern Kirigakure assault base. The base was simple with white paneling, walls, and doors. The lights were simple tube lights the fit into the celling to provide the lighting required. It was one of the four set up to allow a four pronged attack on Kiri all at once with their combined military strength.

Setsuna was part of a five man group that lead an organization called Celestial Being. Their five man cell was special because of their special armor. The seals on the armor allowed it to take all kinds of damage and gave the user abilities they didn't originally have. The organization's goal sounded a lot simpler that it actually was. Their goal was to end war. At that time they had also joined with another group that was trying to end the tyranny that started these wars. It was in their best interest to join with the Black Knights. Eventually they formed a complete merge of their organizations. Their merging brought about a few changes. The first was that their name was changed to the Celestial Knights. Another was that their logos were merged as well.

The Celestial being logo was a tall, pointed, and gold hourglass with wings and a halo above it. In the background was a globe with a blue line around it, and two wheat ears around that. The Black Knights logo on the other hand looked like a stylized, metal version of a child's drawing of a bird. It also had what appeared to be a sword through it. In the end they had switched the hour glass for the Black Knights logo so that it had the wings and halo with the globe and wheat in the background.

After joining together their groups quickly brought the peace they all sought. However, they didn't come from the elemental nations. They had actually come from a similar continent on the other side of the world. Apparently there were records showing that the two continents had once communicated but stopped long ago because they lacked a reason to do so. Eventually the two continents forgot about each other. When they found the records they took a small portion of their forces and travelled to the elemental nations to see if they would be needed. However, due to the lack of military strength they had eventually joined with the man that Setsuna was on his way to join a meeting with.

Setsuna himself was wearing his current uniform of white pants with grey on the inside of his legs. He wore a blue undershirt under a shirt with a strange trim at the bottom and a green diamond in the center of his chest. From each of the four corners a black line wen outwards. From the horizontal line down the shirt was white, while up was a dark blue. Above that he was wearing a short, blue jacket with long sleeves. Setsuna had tan skin with hazelnut eyes and black hair. He hated politicians because he thought that they slowed down the ending of wars. He preferred to take action. He preferred this because his parents had died because of war while politicians were discussing it. The only reason he was headed to a meeting was because it was to discuss their plans for the upcoming battles.

When Setsuna finally opened the door to the meeting room he saw the two people he was there to see. The first was their benefactor that now led most of their joint operations. He was sitting down at the end of the table with Gozu, Meizu, and Angela standing behind him. The other was the leader of the Black Knights. Lelouch Lamperouge. While Setsuna had eventually become the unofficial leader of Celestial Being long after its founding, Lelouch had founded the Black Knights with his clan. His clan was famous for its rare, yet amazing Kekkei Genkai.

The members of the Lamperouge clan were trained in, politics, combat, strategy, and tactics. However, the clan never rarely saw real combat because of the seven people who had actually manifested their clan's doujutsu in the recent years. While few manifested it, the ocular jutsu held different abilities with each user. None were ever the same apart from a few. Though these few were always comparing two manifestations centuries apart. The doujutsu known as geass did always manifest in one similar way though. Its appearance. When active it turned the eye purple with a red silhouette of a simple bird. The bird's wings were bent in a way that the pupil sat where the bird folded. A downside to these doujutsu was that they used large amounts of chakra.

Lelouch himself was wearing black pants with a yellow line down the front. He wore a black shirt with yellow trim that also went up and down the middle to show where it closed in the front. The long sleeves of the shirt met with black gloves and cufflinks that had stylized yellow lines on them. He also had two distinguishing features that he used to complement his overly dramatic side. One was a stylish black cape with yellow trim and an oversized color sticking out. The other was a mask he had sitting in front of him. The mask was black with two spikes protruding from the sides of the mask and try from the top. The front had a large, face sized, purple circle and a stylized yellow line under it. His actual features was that he was somewhat scrawny and lanky. His skin was light while his hair was light black and his eyes were violet.

Setsuna stopped in front of the table while the man at the end of the table finished reading a report. When he set it down he looked at the rest of them for a few moments before speaking in his authoritative voice.

"So this Uzukage seems to want to end the war like we do. Are all of our units ready to move on Kiri?"

"Yes, we have the signals set up so that we can all move at one time." Setsuna said.

"Good. Make sure they stay ready until I give the order. I want to wait to make a move until this Uzukage character makes a move of his own. As it turns out he finally made contact with one of the main resistance movement."

"How can you tell?" Lelouche asked.

"At first reports showed that he was behind small attacks on small groups. As of yesterday he was behind an attack on one of the Mizukage's strongholds that are in charge of large areas. Get a message to the rest of the bases and tell them to wait for orders. I want to see what he will do.

*break*

Anko was sitting in her favorite dango restaurant. It was small with dim lamps to provide with just enough light for someone to relax and read without straining themselves. It was nice and calming to just sit and eat or read. Its small size kept there from being a loud crowd to disrupt the atmosphere.

Anko had been sitting here recently since she got back from her mission. When she returned and found out that Naruto was gone she was both relieved that Naruto had gotten away, but also upset because even the Inuzuka clan had no success with finding Naruto. She had talked to Neji about everything that had transpired when Naruto ad left, bet even he hadn't been told Naruto's destination. So far they were all waiting for word from him. They were all waiting to see what he would do. All she knew was that all she could do now was wait.

She took a bite from her dango before she saw someone sit down in front of her. She looked up to see that it was Sasuke. She didn't hate him because she knew that eventually they would have taken Naruto down for using the kyuubi at some point. However, part of her held it against him because it was him running away that caused Naruto to use the Kyuubi at that moment instead of later on. Part of her felt that a part of the blame rested on his shoulders. That was why she chose to try and ignore him at this moment.

She sat there munching on her dango for another ten minutes before she realized that Sasuke wasn't about to leave. That whole time he just sat there and looked at her like he was waiting for an answer.

"What do you want?" Anko asked.

"I want to know where Naruto is."

"And you think I know where he went?"

"You were often with him and his other two friends, Hinata and Shino. There isn't a single person in this village that doesn't know you have a sadistic streak. You're famous for your skills in the interrogation unit. You use your snakes to get to anyone afraid of them, and you use genjutsu and torture methods to bend their perception of reality until they wind up at the brink of insanity, some even begging for death. It's how you get information from them within record times. While he is head of the division, even Ibiki doesn't get results like you do. Meaning you had to be close to Naruto and the others if you would actually be near them in friendly circumstances. You have to know because even I can tell that you were one of the few in this village that Naruto trusted."

"You're right. I was one of the few he trusted, but that doesn't seem to make much of a difference now. You read the reports. His original dream was to be acknowledged by the village. To change the way they saw him. But now I fear that this betrayal has changed his dream to one where he slaughters everyone who stands in his way." She smiled. "No, that isn't the way he is. However," she said, her smile fading, "I have no doubt that he was telling the truth when he said that he will destroy this village and everyone in its walls. When he gains the strength needed to return he will make good on his word. He will bring down this village for their crimes. I just hope he still knows what mercy is when he does, because some people will be begging for it."

'_No, that's not true. It can't be. His dream is to become Hokage. Because of what I've done I owe it to him to make sure that dream comes true.'_

Anko stood up and adjusted her trench coat. "I can see what you're thinking. I's all over your face." She said, sounding solemn. "You want to bring him back and help him fulfil his old dream. That dream is gone. I watched a lot of it all up close, I knew him more than most could say they did. There was a point when I saw a side of him he never showed. Hit was his sympathy for his world. This world that hates him. You can't stop that. You can't bring him back. Your motives are good, you want to help him with what you still believe to be his dream, and you want to show so kindness to right your wrong. But be where. Those who seem kindest, or try to be, are often the most insidiously cruel. Few, if any, can be trusted until the very end." She said before turning around to leave. Before she took two steps Sasuke was on his feet.

"You still haven't answered my question."

"What was that question again?" she asked without turning around.

"Do you know where he is, and if so where is he?"

She sighed. "No, I don't know where he went. He disappeared off the face of the earth and no one knows where he went. Not even his friends." Then she walked out the door of the restaurant.

Sasuke stood there for a few moments to think about what she said before hardening his resolve and walking out after her.

'_Eventually she will lead me to him. All I have to do is keep track of where she goes.'_

It was later at night and Anko was walking down the street when she noticed movement down a back alley. She chose to keep going before she walked past another and noticed the same movement. Someone was following her. She turned down the next side alley she came to and was able to see that the movement was someone walking back in the alley behind the buildings. When she got to the end of it she saw a figure in a black travelling cloak standing there. What she didn't know was that Sasuke had been following her and was now standing behind the corner she had come from. Under normal circumstances she would have known but was too focused on the figure in front of her.

"Who are you and why are you following me?"

The voice that answered her was distorted. "A friend. If you want to know how to find Naruto then meet me here." The figure said while handing here a slip of paper, before instantly disappearing into a whirlpool of water that appeared underneath of him and grew to encompass his previous location only to disperse to show empty space, all of which happened in the space of less than a second.

She wasted no time to shunshin behind him. Sasuke came running out from behind his corner. He had wanted to stop them so that he could also get answers but was too late before they were both gone. His face showed all of his anger at being denied this opportunity for answers.

When Anko appeared again she was standing on top of the tower in the forest of death. She looked around and didn't see the figure.

"Where are you?!"

"Here."

She panicked as she heard the voice in her ear. She instantly had a kunai in her hand and spun around. What she saw shocked her. There was Naruto wearing the travelling cloak with the hood down now. Another thing that shocked her was that his hair was red, though if you looked closely you could see blonde at his scalp to indicate that he had dyed it red and it was starting to grow back out.

"Naruto, how-"

"After I took down the barrier around the village it was a simple matter of making sure I wasn't seen by the sensory types they have patrolling the walls. Also, I'm only a kage bunshin. The real me is doing something far more important. However, I'm here to tell you where to go if you want to join me. Head to the southernmost point in the Land of Hot Water. There will be a small village there. Wait for a ship to pull into the docks. The name of the ship is the Black Pearl. Then it will take you to me. I suggest you leave in a few days. However, you should make sure Sasuke is unconscious before you leave. He followed you after you left the dango shop. I don't want him getting in the way. It would be troublesome."

"Troublesome?"

"The Nara do not have a monopoly on the word. Anyways, I won't kill him if he ever confronts me because he is my friend, however, I will not let his misguided thoughts stand between me and destroying this place."

"I understand. So how are things going?"

"Currently they're going well for how early on everything is. However, it will be impossible to act any time soon."

"Alright, then I will see you soon."

"So long as everything goes cording to plan, yes. For right now I'm running low and I'm about to disperse. Leave soon. I have no doubt that Sasuke will tell Tsunade about you knowing where to find me here very soon. The moment he lost the trail in that alley he knew he was going to need help with tracking me down. However, he will try to keep them out of the loop for as long as he can so that Tsunade can't get to me first. At least he's smart enough to know he shouldn't trust the sannin. However, I can no longer stay. I'll see you in a few weeks." Naruto said before dispersing.

In a moment Anko was also gone. She needed to leave as soon as possible. If she stayed to long then she wouldn't be able to get away before they were on her trail.

*break*

Naruto was hiding behind a rock so that he could remain unseen for the moment. He had his Uzukage robe on and his hair was starting to grow out so the natural color could barely be seen growing out of his scalp. In a moment he would start his attack which would signal the rest of the forces to commence their own attack. Right now though he was making sure the device in his hands was ready. In his hands was an eighteen inch around, two foot long, and canister like device.

The device had five seems. Four went up the sides of the device while the fifth went around the middle. These seems were so that the eight individual panels could separate and be automatically sealed into the two sealing arrays on the two ends of the device. When the panels were sealed it revealed most of the device to be covered in a black grid pattern over a grey back ground. The inside of the canister was actually a covering itself. Under the grey and black grid covered a one inch around metal tube. The grey and black grid was there, taking up the rest of the device's interior, because it was actually billions of sealing arrays stacked on top of each other to form a hollow three dimensional cylinder. After he had managed to gather some documents in his family's library on seals and some things that Mito Uzumaki had given Kushina after she was brought to Konoha. He had his bunshin working on making dozens of them before he left because they took months to create.

The sealing arrays had been modified so that they would eject their contents within a matter of seconds. To make a weapon out of the design Naruto had simply filled each of the billions of seals with thousands of metal senbon. The device would decimate everything around it by ejection all of the thousands of billions of senbon in a matter of moments to rip apart everything. He had also managed to engineer the seals so that they would be linked so that they could fire them all in a single direction, although the one in his hand would send them out in every direction so that it could be the most effective in this situation. This device that he had created was one that he called, a 'chaos mine'. It could be engineered to respond to several things. A timer, motion sensor, applied presser, removed presser, a key word, remote detonator, and impact. These allowed them to be deployed in many ways for many situations. This particular one was set for impact.

Before commencing his attack he created several dozen bunshin, each pulling themselves from his shadow, to protect him while he ran for it. Before taking off he strapped the chaos min to his lower back. The fortress he was attacking had large stone walls with several small buildings inside, and a main, five flour tower at the center.

Once he took off with his bunshin taking up formation in front of him it took only a few seconds before he was noticed. The moment he was, he was assaulted with a barrage of kunai, explosive tags, and long range jutsu. He and his bunshin avoided what they could while the copies took what couldn't. The moment he hit the wall he was most of the way up it in no time. Now the copies ran ahead and allowed themselves to be stuck with the paper bombs so that they could take them back up the wall to the people who through them. Although the bombs were detonated before they got very far, it helped to vibrate the wall, and therefore through off the aim of those at the top.

What happened next happened within seconds. The moment he was on top of the fortification he had to lean backwards to avoid a blade being stabbed towards his face. He quickly grabbed the wrist of its owner and twisted it so that the enemy would be flipped, while also pulling him into the air. Naruto had forced himself to move past the sickness he felt when killing and grabbed the man's throat before slamming him into the floor. When the man's head hit the stone he also had his windpipe crushed by the force Naruto was applying.

After that he had move quickly to avoid the wave of spike that had been coming for him since he landed on the wall. Jumping up over them, Naruto had a bunshin pop into existence to through him towards the person who had used the doton jutsu. When Naruto was in rage he drew his sword and impaled the man through the heart in a streak of black and green.

Then he saw a streak of lightning flash towards him from behind. Thinking quickly he sank into the stone wall before reappearing behind the attacker who turned around to counter attack. However, Naruto was already in the air with the front of his right foot hooked behind the man's head, and the heel of his left pushing against the left side of the man's face. He pulled his right foot back and pushed his left foot forward to produce a sickening crack as the man's neck was twisted at an un-natural angle.

Deciding to get out before the rest of the guards could continue to attack he removed the chaos mine from his back and tossed it over the wall. The moment it left his hands he shunshined away. When he reappeared he was running with the rest of the army he had signaled by starting his attack. He was now leading the charge with Hinata and Shino at his sides. Hlooked at both of them for a moment as they both nodded. They were ready. It took another ten seconds before they were at the wall that was turned to dust at this point due to the chaos mine. The body parts that could be identified were ripped apart and turned into pin-cushions. The wall, surrounding buildings, and the shinobi around that location were obliterated and turned to mist or dust. Naruto gave the signal and Jirobo jumped out of the attacking wave to the front. When he landed he used a doton jutsu that shifted the ground they would be moving over to get rid of the scattered senbon on the ground. When he fell back into the ranks with the rest of the Uzu four, Naruto led them in and they started systematically moving in. many of them were splitting up to take different areas and keeping support busy.

Naruto and the other two of his team charged through the paths towards the main building, taking down those who got in their way as they went. Shino would send his insects out ahead and around corners, Hinata disabled people who got close enough to the rear, and Naruto used his sword to impale or decapitate or would shove a rasengan into the midsection of anyone who got close enough in general. When a group of seven enemy shinobi rounded a corner in front of them Naruto created a dozen bunshin to keep them busy while they went in and took them down.

It took them another minute before they had met up with some of the other teams outside of the south entrance of the main building. Once there Naruto had some of his doton users come forward and destroy the door. With the door gone Naruto also saw smoke rising to signify that the other entrances were also being breached. Knowing that the other teams were able to see the smoke to signify that their door was clear he rushed in, followed by the rest of his forward infiltration team. Now it was up to all four teams to do their individual jobs.

Once inside they once again split up to take individual halls and rooms. It didn't take long before most of the building was secure. After many small skirmishes Naruto, Hinata, and Shino split off to take on their own target. It didn't take long for them to find him killing some of their units. The man was middle aged with plain black armor and two katanas, one in each hand. He was the general in charge of this base. They were now in a large atrium that seemed to serve as a connecter for some of the branching halls. This place was meant to make intruders lost if they didn't know the way, or didn't have others helping them map it out.

Once he noticed Naruto and his team Naruto could see the man become nervous for a split moment. He had heard of the Uzukage's involvement in fighting against Kiri. However, he quickly got over it and attacked. Hinata and Shino were about to help Naruto with a counter attack when more Kiri shinobi entered the large room. All three shared a look before Hinata started moving to disable the chakra and pressure points of some, while Shino consumed others with his insects. When some got to close they engaged in taijutsu and used kunai to fend off enemy blades.

Naruto had pulled up his own sword to block both of the enemy's swords at once. He pushed the man back before putting him on the defensive by creating a bunshin and having it henge into another of his black and green sword. He quickly took up both of his blades and charged in to keep the man on his toes. Every time he would slash across the man's middle he would switch one of his blades into a reverse grip to block while using his other sword to block the blows Naruto tried to deliver to the man's throat or face. However it didn't last long as the man used Naruto's own momentum to flip him onto his back and toss away Naruto's swords, one of which dispersed upon impacting the stone floor. He then held his swords at Naruto's neck.

"You were a good opponent for your age, and you did not disappoint my expectations from your reputation. However, this is where you die."

"No quite." Naruto said with a smirk before disappearing into smoke.

"What the-?!"

The man was cut off as he felt a sword impact the back of his armor and impale him. he could feel part of his spine being severed as the sword came out from between the middle of his left rib cage, and therefor puncturing the left lung.

"I am sorry to use such a deceitful tactic on such a worthy opponent such as you, however, I cannot die here. There are things I need to do. I wish I could have fought beside you as you would have made an excellent ally. That is why I wish to know your name." Naruto said from behind.

"General Mikami Katase. Tell me a couple of things before I die. Why can't I feel anything, and how did you do it?"

"Before my attack ever started I had my sword on a table. Then I created a bunshin. Because I myself was not holding the sword my bunshin didn't have the sword himself. So I then picked up my sword and henged myself into it so that I was holding my sword inside of the transformation. I had my clone wield the sword I was transformed into so that if the need arose it could toss away the swords so that I could cancel the henge and strike from behind. As for the other thing, I made sure to sever part of your spinal column so that you would feel very little. You deserve that for being one of the few honorable and worthy opponents I have faced."

"Well, then I guess I have to say good luck. I owe you that much." The man said before dying. Naruto set the man's body down and removed his sword to put it away before turning to see Hinata and Shino finishing off the stragglers that had come in when they did.

"You two okay?" he asked.

His response was for them to nod.

"Alright, let's get moving while we're in the clear." Naruto said. Before leaving he created several dozen bunshin to map out a rout to the rendezvous point. It didn't take long before Naruto had a rout and led them out of the chamber. As they walked down the network of halls there were some small fights going on down other halls and marveled at how quickly the base had fallen. It had taken little time for them all to systematically take control and defeat the enemy stationed here.

When they emerged from the building through the west entrance they were greeted with Mei Terumi, her guards, the uzu four, Zabuza and Haku, and many of the soldiers resting in a courtyard. Some were also tending to the wounded. He saw one of his Uzu nin standing that was relatively unscathed apart from a few cuts and burns. She had short brown hair with pink eyes and was wearing basic shinobi clothing with a small orange stripe on each shoulder, as well as light padding to dampen blows without weighing her down too much. She was actually older than Naruto, as were many of the ex-oto nin, but had decided it was best to acknowledge him as the leader of her new home,like many of the ex-oto nin had also done. After waving her over she gave a small tip of her head to signify that she was awaiting orders but was ready to move when needed.

"I want you to get together a status report for me. Compile a list of losses, wounded, and prisoners. After that I want you to arrange for those prisoners to be brought to me along with your report. After that you will be dismissed to your normal responsibilities." Naruto said. As she left to carry out her orders Naruto sat down on a small piece of rubble. They had managed to keep most of the base intact, but explosive tags had still done some damage. This counted even more for buildings that had been covered in them as traps.

He sat there with Hinata and Shino for another ten minutes before the nin he sent to get a report returned.

"Report." Naruto said, standing up as he did so.

"Total casualties on our side were fifty-three. Twelve of those were Uzushio shinobi. The wounded count is sixty-four. Seven of those are Uzushio shinobi. However, none of them were to injured to go back into combat within a few days. As for prisoners, we captured five. However, one was able to kill one of the others and them himself before they could be properly restrained. Also, it seems that most of them were only here because their families are being held. If they surrender then their families are killed."

"Alright, unfortunate. However, it can't be changed right now. For now that leaves us with over five hundred left alive, thirty-six of which came here with us a week ago. I don't want to but it seems I will need to employ more of my chaos mines in a few days when we assault the village. For now, tell everyone to rest up and get ready. Also, prepare a funeral pyre for our fallen. After that you're dismissed." He said. She nodded and walked off to give the message she was told to spread.

Shortly after the three remaining prisoners were brought in front of him. "You will be sure to tell everyone in Kiri that we are on our way. Understand. Tell them that our attack will be brutal. So long as that happens we will point you south west towards the village."

When they all said that they would he wave a hand to have them taken away. He also quickly had another Uzu nin come over. "Before they leave make sure to break one leg on each of them. I don't want Kiri to have time to plan a counter attack. After that, let's hope everything goes according to plan."

*break*

Naruto was laying in his tent thinking about the day, about the victory that might not have been if the exact conditions had not been met. He hated thinking about it, thinking about the lives he had taken. However, his mind was slowly helping him ignore the pain, ignore the faces. It no longer mattered. This had to be done to make sure that everything went according to plan. He knew that civilians would die tomorrow. That couldn't be changed. They would be used as shields anyways. He needed to do this. He rubbed his eyes before sitting up and putting his legs over the side of the cot so that he was looking at the small coal holder that heated the tent. There was a small opening the allowed the small amounts of smoke to vent. He looked at his feet and picked up the four folders that sat there. He looked at all four of them.

**SPRING CONTINGENCY,****SUMMER CONTINGENCY,****AUTUM CONTINGENCY,****WINTER CONTINGECY**

He opened the spring folder and flipped through the pages. He cried at some of these things and how this plan was now useless like so many other were before he destroyed them. He looked at the last page.

_Get married._

_Live._

_Be happy_

_Fulfil my dream to change the view of Konoha towards me and possibly become Hokage_

Those were the last items in the folder. They were meant to show the end result of the plan. They were meant to be a check list that could be crossed off once it was complete. He saw a tear fall and soak into the page. It didn't matter anymore. The plan inside was useless. He took the contents out of the Spring Contingency folder before opening the small heater and putting the pages onto the fire inside. He then tucked the folder into his pack to his left along with the other contingency folders. He sat there and wondered if the Summer Contingency would also become obsolete. He sat there and wondered how much the darkness of this world would consume of his life, of his plans, of his happiness.

Then he decided that it was time to go to sleep so that he could rest for the coming battle. He was involved in a war for a good cause, an important cause. But what would be the _cost_ at the end of all of this? When did the cost of life become more that the end result was worth? He didn't know, but it was going to be something he would have to deal with, something he would have to take in stride if he wanted any of his dreams to come true.

When he laid down and closed his eyes he was distracted by a knocking on the post of his tent. He sat up before responding.

"Yes?"

His response was for Hinata to push aside the entrance flap and step inside.

"Hey Naruto. I wanted to talk to you about something."

"Alright, What is it Hinata?" he asked before gesturing for her to sit down next to him.

After she sat down she steeled her resolve and spoke. "Naruto, today when you were fighting the general while Shino and I were fighting the guards one of them tried to go for you while both of us were busy. He was about to stab you with a kunai before I hit a fatal point on the one I was fighting and rushed to kill him as well. I killed him just in time before he got to you, before going back to fighting the others. That showed me just how important it was to protect my friends. To protect you. Ever since you came to help me while I was being bullied by those kids, since you never gave up, since you became my friend and helped me, I decided that I care about you Naruto. Before today I was still too shy to tell you that. To s-say it at all. But when I saw him about to kill you I reacted to protect you. After that, I had to face that fact that it was a possibility that you or I could have died today and I would never have told you. In a few days when we attack Kiri, we could die. So I need to tell you, while I still can." She turned her head to look him in the eyes. "I love you."

Naruto was speechless. He wasn't sure how to react. He looked closely at her. Her hair was staring to grow back out so that there was some of her natural black at her scalp. She still had her contacts in though.

"Hinata, I have to tell you that I don't know how to respond. You have been my friend for a long time. To be honest, I don't know if I feel the same, if I ever will, or if I even can feel the same way at all. So for now, all I can truthfully say to you is that you are my friend. And in that regard I care for you as well. You, Shino, and Anko are the most important people to me. After all these years I consider you the closest thing I have to family. So promise me something. If I never do, if I never give you an answer, or if I die, move on. I would hate it if my surrogate family couldn't let go of me."

She nodded. "Alright, but only if you agree to not die any time soon."

"I will try my hardest." Naruto said. He felt something inside of him shift and change. He let his mind's eye shift to view his mind scape. He saw the glass case. It was shaking, glowing, shifting, and vibrating. He could see that the glass was being stressed by an invisible force. He let the mind's eye shift to see the rest of the scape. Everywhere he looked he could see the same stress of some invisible force.

"_**Be careful. You are now treading a path that has led to insanity for those who walk similar paths. You are now burdened with a weight that could break, or even destroy, not only you but your mind. And when it does I will be there."**_

However, Naruto came back to focus completely on reality. He put aside what he saw and heard to bid Hinata a good night. As she left he laid down on his cot and closed his eyes. He opened them to appear in his mind scape. Then he looked up to see the kyuubi.

"**What are you here for now host?"**

"Why did you talk in my mind? Why did you say that?"

"**AHH, that. That was not me. I heard it as you did, but it was not me. I don't know what it was. That is why I myself am nervous. There was another presence with that voice, so tread lightly. Be careful about what happens in the future."**

Naruto nodded. This was something to be feared if it made Kurama nervous.

*break*

Naruto was standing on the crest of a hill with the forces of his unit behind him. The total remaining forces had been divided into three groups. The first would come from the North East, the direction of the base they had taken a few days ago. The other two were set up to attack from the south east and North West. With them surrounding Kiri they were set up for Naruto to once again signal the attack. With the Kiri forces knowing that their base had been stolen they had their forces focused in that direction until they could plan a counter attack.

Naruto was able to see the village walls from his current position but was mostly hidden unless the enemy was looking closely. When his attack commence they would draw most of the enemy in their direction while the rest of their forces would commence their own attack and take control of the unguarded places to catch the enemy from behind and take over quickly. This plan was also the give the other units the opportunity to secure the civilians. This was so that most of the shinobi would surrender with their families safe.

However, long before arriving there, Naruto had henged so that he could plant several of his chaos mines within the village. He had planted them in several place to systematically destroy their defenses and give them the openings needed. Naruto had place one at each gate, two in the main barracks where the off duty enemy shinobi tended to stay, one he had placed in the main armory, two along the walls of the kage tower to create openings, and a few on another network that were underground in the sewers to trap and slow down shinobi around the village.

The ones in the sewers were keyed to a detonation seal on his right hand while all of the others were keyed to one on his left hand. It was meant so that he could activate the ones on his left to cause chaos all over the village and thin out their numbers. The ones on his right was so that he could cause even more chaos as they tried to react. The name 'chaos mine' really fit the purpose of the devices.

Then he turned around to face his unit before speaking up. "This is it. This battle will end the war. Get ready!" he yelled, drawing his sword and turning around to face the village again. Now was the time to end this war. "Attack!" He yell as he look off at a sprint with Hinata and Shino right behind him.

*break*

The man was standing on top of a ridge overlooking the nearby Kirigakure. His black cloak flapping in the tense wind. His hair was now pulled up into a small wrap that kept it pulled up in the back of his head. He did this every time he was about to fight or go into battle.

"Is everyone in position for the assault?" he asked another of his generals.

"Yes sir. We also made sure to remind them that they need to identify themselves as allies and only defend themselves as needed."

"Good, I would hate for them to attack us when we come up behind them. Have they started their attack yet?"

"No s-yes. Their attacking right now."

"Good. Attack." He said before drawing both of his double edged swords and charging with the rest of them.

*break*

Sasuke walked into the Hokage's office at the same time that Jiraiya did. He had told Jiraiya that he needed to talk to the two sannin. He hadn't seen Anko since he tried to follow her, but he guessed it was her that knocked him unconscious since she was nowhere to be found after he woke up. He decided it was time to tell the sannin about what he had overheard and why she as gone.

'_I should have gone to them sooner. They could have made her lead us to Naruto. Now that she's gone there's nothing I can do..'_

When Sasuke and Jiraiya sat down with Tsunade and Shizune sitting in front of them, Tsunade asked what this was about.

"I know why Anko is missing." Sasuke said. His response was a questioning glare. "I saw her talking to a man in a black travelling cloak. He offered to tell her where Naruto was. I tried to stop them before they shunshined away and I lost them. After that I found no trace of Anko until I was knocked out yesterday morning. I only woke up an hour ago, leading me to believe that she drugged me so that she could have time to cover her tracks. I think we all know where she went, or rather who she went to." He finished.

Tsunade stood up before dragging her arm across her desk, sending everything flying and some glass shattering. She said nothing, but you could see the anger radiating.

"Get me files for the bingo book. I want Naruto and Anko brought beck here as soon as possible." She let out in a low, yet murderous, voice. Shizune ran out of the room to accomplish her task.

When she started to try to calm down Jiraiya turned to Sasuke.

"Sasuke, there's something I wanted to talk to you about. I want to train you."

"What did you just say?" Sasuke asked, now surprised and slightly angry. He already knew where this was going.

"You heard me. Naruto trained with me for a little over a month. I didn't teach him much but he did improve. Plus, who knows what he'll do before we find him again. You're going to need the extra training."

"Then I can train with Kakashi."

"You already know that won't be good enough. At this point he's probably training in everything he can with those kage bunshin of his. You're going to need to train under me. And there's the toads."

"What are you talking about Jiraiya?" Tsunade asked.

"When Naruto escaped I tried to have them remove his name from the contract. Gamabunta refused. He said that I had Naruto sign the contract and it couldn't be removed. Though he did assure me that he wouldn't let any of them be summoned, there was something off. There was something in the way he shifted that told me he wasn't telling me everything."

"However, they did agree to let me put your name on the contr-"

"No!" Sasuke said, shooting to his feet. "You can keep it. There are a few clan contracts in my clan's library. The toads won't be needed."

With that Jiraiya shook his unease and nodded. Sasuke using some more of his clan's techniques would probably be best.

*break*

Naruto quickly activated the seal on his left hand. He watched as dust shot up into the sky from the village. The chaos mines were working. He lifted up his hand to give a signal. When he felt Hinata and Shino place their hands on his shoulders he disappeared in his uzumaki shunshin with them. When they reappeared they landed inside of the walls. It was their job to go in and create as much chaos as possible before the first unit got there to help them. Naruto interlocked his arms with theirs while bringing up his hand to form a cross.

"Now, let's see if this works as well as I think it will." He said before several dozen of each of them appeared. Hinata and Shino appeared slightly winded but it passed as they saw Naruto in the exact same state. For him to be winded was a rare sight.

"Alright. You all know what to do. Let's finish this!" he yelled as all of the copies grouped together to form a wave. Each of the Shinos raised their hands up as their insects flew to form a wave that flooded down the surrounding streets. Screams of pain could be heard over the roar of buzzing. But that passed and every Hinata activated their Byakugan to fight the enemies jumping down from the roofs. The Narutos also attacked with their swords in one hand and rasengan in the other. They would quickly impale the enemy on their swords and destroy their bodies with the resengan they shoved into the Kiri shinobi's chests. When no more enemies were in the immediate area all of the bunshin disappeared.

Naruto and the other two were about to get to fighting again when more Kiri shinobi appeared. However, they were stopped as their forces came through the gate. Before Naruto and his cell could take off they were stopped by one of the resistance members.

"Lord Uzukage, on the way down here we encountered another large force coming from the North, South, East, and West. We thought they were enemies but they seem to be on our side."

Naruto closed his eyes momentarily to think. When he opened them again he spoke. "For now we shall count it as a blessing. Take the help you can get and be thankful that less of our side will die."

The resistance member nodded before taking off. Naruto explained the situation to the other two before they left as well. Running down a street they quickly got ready to fight as four Kiri shinobi jumped from the roof of a building to block their path. Before either side could make a move the enemies fell dead. Behind their bodies was a man in strange armor with a sword in his hand. The armor had red on the bottoms of the feet, white up to the knees, which were blue, and then white until it reached the middle torso. Above that there was a red midsection with blue and white on the rest apart from a black object adorning the center of his chest. The shoulders of the armor jutted out slightly past the arms. On his head was a helmet with a black object on the forehead just above spike above the eyes that branched out. On the sides were two more of the black objects where the ears should be. Past that a wide spike jutted out of each side. On his left should was a large blue shield it green around the edges.

In the man's hand was a large, wide double edged broad sword. At his hip were two Katanas with silver blades, blue sheaths, white handles, and silver guards. One was at each hip. Then he spoke.

"You must be the Uzukage. Things will be explained later. For now all you need to know is that we are here to help you." He said before disappearing. Naruto knew that whatever conversation held this explanation would be long and complicated.

*break*

The man was currently walking down the halls of the Mizukage's tower. He had used the chaos to ignore everything but getting here. When he stepped around a corner he was assaulted from all sides by Kiri shinobi who also came from the ceiling. He responded instantly as time seemed to slow around him by readying his two swords. He spun around in a flare to slash open the chest of four of them. He then jumped into the air to decapitate one, kick off of the body, and launch into two enemies who were also still suspended in the air. With his blades in front of him they reached the two before he did, impaling their necks. He then moved his legs forward to kick off of them and downwards. On his way down he decapitated two of them. He slid to the ground and turned to dash forward and disembowel one more. When he was done everything sped back up and the bodies fell. He had moved so quickly that it had happened in the span of a second.

He turned to look at the only remaining enemy, who at this point had wet himself at how quickly everyone around him had died at the hands of one person. He started to walk towards the Kiri nin who instantly took off running down another hall way. The man chuckled. He always got a kick out of it. It was one of his few pleasures in life. He continued walking until he reached his destination. He opened two large double doors to find himself in a relatively large atrium. Once inside he saw who he was looking for. He saw the Mizukage, Yagura, picking up his weapon, which was a staff-like pole weapon with uneven sized hooks with a green flower on the larger end, to go fight in the battle taking place outside of his tower. However, he looked up to see the man enter, his emotionless face looking at the intruder.

Yagura appeared to be just entering his teens, but was actually an adult. He had messy, light-grey hair, pink pupiless eyes and a stitch-like scar running from under his left eye, all the way down his cheek. He wore a grey, sleeveless shirt with the his hitai-ate attached to the front, short-sleeved mesh armour over which he also wore a green poncho along with a turquoise obi around his waist, paired with a green apron over his pants, and brown boots. He also had a tanto on his right hip and a wakizashi on his left. The wakizashi had a silver blade, a green guard that was a simple diamond, and a handle that was black along with the pommel.

"Who are you?" Yagura asked.

The man looked towards the shadows of the round room in a single spot to the right of Yagura.

"I could ask the same of you, over in the shadows. He who truly pulls the strings. Why don't you come out and let me see who you are?"

There was a tense silence before a man walked out of the shadows. He wore black shinobi sandals, bandages around his lower legs, and slightly baggy black pants. He also wore a black robe that went down to his knees, had a thick purple trim, and a grey obi around his middle. Under the robe you could see bandages covering his right hand and arm, as well as bandages covering most of his chest. His hair was long, black, and spiky so that it had a wild appearance. However, his face couldn't be seen as it was covered with a mask. The mask only had an eye hole for his right eye, which could be seen as a lone sharingan, and was yellow with thick, stylized, black lines around the eye, although only two of them touched the outside of the mask.

"Ah wonderful! Now I understand, you are the famed Madara Uchiha!" the man said with a joyous tone. He seemed unfazed in the slightest, and on the inside he was. He had expected this person to be behind everything, just like he was the one behind the Kyuubi attack all those years ago. "Wait," he said, his voice dropping a little, "I got that wrong. I meant to say you would be Madara Uchiha if you weren't actually his successor, and he wasn't dead." He didn't miss Madara flinch, if only slightly. From everything he had gathered over the years he had put together a profile on many things, including Madara and everything surrounding him. Though, some of it was speculation.

"HAHAHA! No, I'm very much alive."

"Of course you are, but your flinch a moment ago confirmed my suspicions. You are not the real Madara Uchiha. He died long ago, probably bequeathing everything, including his name, to you. So tell me, how am I doing so far?"

"To be honest you're getting on my nerves. But before I kill you, tell me….how did you figure it out?"

"It was not easy if that's what you're worried about. You see, I had to wait for you to tell me. And that took patience I didn't know I had." the man said with a smirk. "Don't get me wrong, I had the idea for quite some time. I built a profile on him a while back. I noticed something and thought to myself, 'why would someone who can single handedly re-write the maps hide his face?' So I decided to try and trick you. I have to say that it wasn't that hard. I was a little disappointed."

"Hmm. Well, I must admit I didn't expect someone to deny my claims in such a way that I was forced to admit it."

"So then, would you be so kind as to take off that mask so that I can know who you really are. I think I deserve that much at least, for all my hard work."

"No, I think not." He said as the air started to shift and wrap around him before he was pulled into it.

When Madara was gone the man had to quickly defend himself by putting up both of his swords to catch Yagura's staff that was coming down to crush his head. He quickly kicked Yagura away only for the kage to rush back with his tanto in a reverse grip in his left hand and his staff in his left. The man quickly twisted around to slice his staff in half as it was brought down and leaned backward as the tanto tried to bite into the flesh that kept his jugular un-severed. When the tanto passed the man jumped away before stabbing his swords into the ground and flashing through hand seals.

"Destruction's light!" he yelled before lighting shot from every tip of the man's fingers, toes, hair, and even nose. The lightning streamed out of him and into storm forming in the center of the room. Within seconds the storm made it so dark that only the man could see. However, the darkness was short lived as a bright light accompanied the sound of thunder. The man could feel the impact coming from the force of all the energy of a hurricane being released all at once. He could feel the destruction it was creating. When the light cleared the walls were cracked and looked ready to fall, yet were still standing due to being built to withstand powerful jutsu.

However, the man was also panting for a brief moment before he composed himself and looked up to see Yagura. Yagura was covered with burns, his cloths singed, and he was on his knees. He was obviously not finished yet, but he was still stunned due to having so much light and sound go off in his eyes and ears. The attack was meant to destroy everything, but the man had lessoned its power considerably so that he didn't exhaust him himself while testing what the Jinchuriki could handle. From his assessment of the Mizukage's condition a fully powered attack would not have killed the kage and the man would have been too exhausted to finish him off. However, while the kage was still stunned, the man pulled his swords out of the ground and walked over to the kneeling jinchuriki. He then put his swords at the kage's neck to decapitate him in one move.

"Your sins are not your own, but that does not mean that if left alive you will not commit them. Forgive me for this." He said before pulling his swords back so that he could get the momentum to sever the head instantly. Before he could complete the movement the doors that were somehow still standing burst open.

In the doorway stood Naruto, Hinata and Shino. Naruto was stunned to see the man about to kill the kage but quickly got over it.

"Stop! I need him alive!"

The man looked reluctant as he saw Yagura starting to stir. "You realize that he is in this state because I was able to surprise him, right? He is under a genjutsu and will no doubt attack when he comes out of this."

"I know." Naruto said as he walked up to the still kneeling, but slightly more aware, kage. He then took a knee in front of him and pulled out a piece of paper. He then applied the paper to Yagura's forehead and channeled chakra into it. "Forgive me my friend. This is going to hurt."

As soon as the words left his mouth a seal appeared on the paper and Yagura collapsed on the ground, writhing and screaming in pain. After a few seconds Yagura stopped and blacked out.

"What was that?" the man asked.

"Back when the kyuubi was kept in Uzushio people putting the jinchuriki under genjutsu was not exactly rare. Because the biju was uncooperative they had no way to break it themselves unless they had unbelievable chakra control. So the people of Uzushio developed a seal that momentarily stopped all flow of chakra in their bodies. The only flaw was that the bone crushing pain caused unconsciousness." Naruto said before checking Yagua's pulse. "A sub flaw was that on rare occasions it would cause death. By rare I mean it happened twice."

"So what about cases like Yagura, where it was nearly impossible to apply the seal1?"

"It happened once. How do you think Madara Uchiha so easily got ahold of the kyuubi before it was sealed into Mito? He used a genjutsu to control the previous host until he was ready to extract it. So a variant of the seal was created. The seal was placed at the base of the neck. The trigger was for the detection of a foreign chakra signature causing irregularities in the chakra network. This was why the Jinchuriki was always guarded with some of the fastest shinobi. When the jinchuriki were rendered unconscious they would pull them out of the situation and retreat."

"Yes, that was brilliant. So now that this is taken care of a guess introductions are in order, Uzukage."

Naruto stood up and faced the man. "Yes, I agree. Naruto Namikaze Uzumaki, the Shodaime Uzukage" Naruto said as he extended his hand.

The man extended his hand and they clasped each other's forearms. "Good. I have been waiting to meet you ever since you started intervening in the war. As for me…you may call me Chronicle." He said as they separated and took a step back.

"Chronicle?"

Chronicle smiled and gave a small chuckle. "I long ago forgot my name. There was a time in my life where I talked to no one for so long that I forgot it. So I now go by the name Chronicle. I'm sure you have a few questions for me."

Naruto's face turned serious. "Yes, I would like to know a little more about who you are and why you're here."

"Of course." Chronicle said, his face also serious now. "Come on. Let's first make sure that order is maintained within our ranks. Then we can have a meeting to discuss everything. But first, who are your team mates?"

Naruto gestured to them. "Hinata, and Shino. Two of my closest friends."

"Good. Now, let's go and make sure our two armies don't kill each other."

**[A/N] WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! Chapter 10 is finally done. So, I set up a poll, and will have set up more in the future. None of these poll's results will be final, only suggestions. I'm so sorry it took so long to finish. Now that I think about it, I think the quality actually got better because I got the chance to go back and fix some things. I hope that I have made up for the lateness of this chapter by making it the longest so far, as well as going back and adding some scenes that were not originally in the first making of this chapter. I was debating adding more to it but decided to stop here instead. Also, I will be adding an updated version of chapter 2 either tomorrow or the day after, as well as a picture of the Celestial Knights logo and Naruto's Uzukage robe on deviant art and link them to my profile so that you can get some better ideas of what I see when I'm typing this fanfiction. Now, I give you this chapter and hope you will join my on the next chapter 'A History Lesson'. Though, the title of the next chapter might change by then. Don't forget to review your thoughts and PM any ideas or questions you have.**


	11. The Histories

**[A/N] So here is chapter 11. Things will start to heat up soon, and I will also be giving you all a nice history lesson on Uzushiogakure. Now I shall expand upon this world and the tension that's in it. I don't own Naruto or the material. Now, I do have to say I was a little disappointed about the poll. I expected more votes, both in general and in favor of Fu. Not to say I favor her, but I simply expected it to be more of a struggle. But in general I expected more of the 155 people following this story to vote. I'm not complaining or making a big deal about it, just a bit underwhelmed by the number of voters. The same with reviews.**

**Before I start I want to respond to some reviews.**

**Thor94: Actually, I was trying to give the impression that he wasn't quite that strong. That was why I had him conserve power to see if it would kill Yagura, and went on to say that he could have exhausted himself on that attack and not killed him, he realized that from how little damage was done to Yagura and the fact that he would eventually start using some of his biju's chakra, though that last part was unstated it should have been obvious. I had the idea that an attack that used an explosion of condensed lightning and thunder all being released at once could work as a flash bang for Yagura when it was toned down. However, I will take this into account and try to make him a little less OP for someone who isn't the main character. However, it will only be slight as I don't feel like making Madara the only OP character. And as for the Mary sue part, I wanted to create a character that could come in and be important to this universe and be powerful, however, he will not be taking on the role of main character at all. He will become more important over time, but not main character important. Well, let me rephrase that to not THE main character. He will be A main character like Hinata and Shino are main characters but not THE main character. However, I am currently working through some ideas to give more back story to this character as he becomes more important.**

**Guest review: theeternalguest: I was not thinking immortal, but I was thinking that perhaps I could give some backstory to include what happened to him that led to the loss of his name. Chronicle will get more backstory to help expand on his side of everything. Perhaps I'll write another fanfiction to tell his story in full detail, though it's unlikely as I will probably explain his story in flashbacks and such. For now, just wait and see.**

**Gremlin Jack: I'm currently unsure of how much I will even use Lelouch. I was just trying to add detail to the people Chronicle had behind him. He will appear other times, I'm sure. But as for the importance of his role or any of the Celestial Knights, I'm not sure yet. The same can be said to a character I will introduce in this chapter. The one that heads up Chronicle's information network.**

**Now I, Averell Torrent, command you….enjoy and review.**

Sasuke was now sitting in the Hokage's office with Tsunade, Kakashi, Tsume, Jiraiya, Hiashi, Shibi, Kiba, a branch member Hyuga dressed as one would expect of a Hyuga member, and a member of the Aburame clan who was dressed as one would expect of an Aburame clan member. They were all tense.

"Tsume, give your report." Tsunade said, her hands folded in front of her face.

She nodded. "After you had me send our teams after Anko we were able to pick up a trail. With the fact that you had us start looking to the east we picked the trail up quickly, at least quickly for going after a special jonin that's so good at covering their tracks. It was difficult but with the help of Jiraiya's network the trail led to a small village in Hot Water Country. We kept our distance so that we didn't take the risk of alerting Anko and/or Naruto."

"Good, now I'm going to set up a team to go capture Naruto and Anko and bring them back. Sasuke, you're going to be on this team to help fight Naruto while Kakashi will be going to help take care of Anko. I will also be sending this Hyuga branch member, Aburame clan member, Kiba, and a couple of ANBU. The ANBU will be helping with Anko while the rest will help you subdue Naruto. He shouldn't be that much of a threat, but he did train under Jiraiya for a short time and will no doubt be training with Anko as long as he can. You will all be moving out in an hour. Prepare whatever you need. Also, Jiraiya, you said you have something troubling to report."

He stepped forward. "Yes. I'm worried about the toads. I asked them to let me use the key to the seal of the kyuubi. I was hoping that I could alter it in a way that would cripple his movements. Until now they never had a problem with me making small adjustments to the seal. They're hiding something, they're being less cooperative with me. Whenever I talk to them I can feel a tension in the air. Something's wrong but when I asked them about it they said that they were simply focused on troubling matters that couldn't be discussed. They're hiding something but I won't be getting it out of them any time soon. It's almost like their preparing for something, and it makes me uneasy. Doesn't feel right."

*break*

The boy was running. He had been on the streets for a long time now. It had been a couple of years since they had killed his family. Two years since he had been on his own. Sometimes people would give him looks of sympathy, spare change, scraps of food, but never enough for him to get buy on. Sometimes he was forced to steal food from venders. Right now he was running from a particularly angry stall keeper that he had repeatedly stolen rice and bread from.

The boy managed to lose the somewhat portly man by running out of the small town and into the nearby woods. Without looking back he kept running to where he had been taking shelter for the past year. The place was nothing more than a small cave that could hardly be called such. It was more of an indention in the rock that provided enough cover for him to lay down with a fire under the covering. It had been hard living alone. The time had forced him to forget some of the things from his past.

The eleven year old boy could hardly survive on his own, but his father had managed to teach him a very small amount about living in the wilderness. Though it only gave him the ability to camp out for a short time. At first he had been able to stave off hunger by taking the scraps and catching small fish, but as time went on he started to become malnourished. As things stood he was lucky to outrun even the stall keeper that was after him.

The cave came into sight before he tripped on a stone. The moment the boy's bare and dirty feet hit the stone he could feel pain shoot up his leg, but the pain was pushed aside as the ground rapidly came up at him, his tattered clothing about to do nothing to dampen his fall on the stones coming up to greet his face. He lost consciousness, but because his sleep was dreamless he felt like he was opening his eyes immediately after they had been closed. He faded out again as the haze in his eyes kept him from seeing much. When he opened his eyes again the fog in his eyes kept him from properly seeing the shadowed figure in front of him very clearly. The sun in his eyes didn't help much either. He blacked out again as he felt himself get picked up. He could hear the words in his ears as he faded away.

"Lucky I'm in a generous mood or you might have been left here."

When he opened his eyes again he was laying on a cot it a dark room. He looked around but could hardly see. What he could see was a silhouette getting on their feet. He tried to speak but his throat was dry and felt like it was broken.

When the figure got closer he was able to tell that it was a woman, but failed to make out any of her features. When she got to his side she held up his head and put a cup to his lips.

"Drink. You're dehydrated and need water. Open." Her soft, yet firm, voice said to him.

He opened his mouth and felt the cool water flow down his throat. He couldn't say it, but he was grateful for the life giving substance. When the cup was empty she put his head back down and backed up.

"When you're back to an acceptable state of health you're going to start training. That might seem random but so long as I'm taking care of you I will also be teaching you how to do it yourself. Whenever you want to leave you can, but if you aren't following my rules and regiments you won't be living here." She said as she turned walked to a door. She opened it, but before she was gone he heard her mumble to herself.

"Maybe I am getting soft, bringing him here and taking care of him."

He then faded out again as tiredness took him.

*break*

Chronicle opened his eyes. He sighed as he sat up. He dreamed sometimes, but the dreams were always memories. Pictures of his past. He hated his past because it always taunted him. When he saw the memories they would go in sequence of chronology. But he hated them because they would always jump past his name. He could never just see his name. Why couldn't he just see his name? If he was going to see the past why couldn't he see the part that mattered most to him? He saw his life pass by but he never did hear his name. He assumed it was because he didn't memory of it so it didn't appear in his memories. He knew that information didn't just delete itself. It was there but at the same time it was lost.

He got out of his bed and decided to leave the lights off. He preferred the dark because it kept him from seeing the world around him. He hated this world that caused him so much pain. He walked over the bathroom connected to the room he slept in. when he got in there he finally turned on the light and squinted momentarily while his pupils adjusted to the intake of light. He looked into the mirror that sat above his sink. He looked at himself. His upper body was uncovered allowing him to look at his body.

He was covered in several scars that had come from training and the trails of his life. There were three large, parallel scars the wet diagonally down his chest. These were caused from him fighting a large beer during his training. Others were from battle, some were from survival training, and others were caused by a stupid mistake he had made while tracking food for him and his teacher. He had been chasing after a deer that had run towards a cliff overlooking a large lake. The deer and stopped and turned, but Chronicle's momentum had taken him over the edge to the water waiting below. He had managed to avoid most of the rocks, but had cut himself on the rocks he couldn't see below the surface of the water until it was too late. He was lucky to have survived. Or so his sensei had said.

He stopped looking at himself and proceeded to void his bladder, take a shower, and get dressed for the meeting he had soon.

*break*

The day before the meeting had been the day they had ended the war. When word got around that the Mizukage was defeated most Kiri shinobi stood down. Any who didn't either took off or were taken down. Afterwards Naruto had joined Chronicle at his northern Kiri assault base. He had also made sure that Yagura was kept away from the Kiri and rebel forces so that he would be safe until Naruto took him back to Uzushio.

Naruto was sitting in a conference room with the people who had recently met with him. They were sitting at the northern assault base that Chronicle had used to attack Kiri. Around the table sat Naruto, Hinata, Shino, the uzu four, Zabuza, Haku, Mei, Ao, Chojuro, Chronicle, Meizu, Gozu, Angela, Lelouch, Setsuna, and six others. Two of the six others were with Lelouch. One was Cecilia Lamperouge. She was Lelouch's wife. She was similar in appearance to Angela, but was more slender, had hair that was a much lighter green, and seemed to prefer staying in her casual clothing that was made up of a white body suit that hugged her frame. She had once been his accomplice but over time they had grown closer till they had eventually gotten married.

The next was one of Lelouch's most trusted friends, and generals. Kallen Kozuki. She wore a tight, red and black, suit and a red headband around her head that pushed up some of her red hair. When down it touched her shoulders.

The others at the table were members of celestial being. Each one was wearing their own uniform. The first was Tieria Tanikaze. He wore a uniform much like Setsuna's apart from the fact that it was purple instead of blue. The man had an androgynous appearance that he had used to his advantage a few times in some infiltration missions. He had red eyes, straight purple hair that touched his shoulders, and glasses.

Back when he had first been recruited by Celestial Being Tieria was a negatively-stoic person. He was distrusting, strict, and self-righteous. Tieria himself merely tolerated the people around him for the sake of fulfilling the goal of the organization. Tieria had held his position as one of the top members of the organization in high regard. However, over time he had come to respect his fellow members of Celestial Being and had become much more kind in his words and motivations.

Next was Allelujah Haptism. His uniform was like Setsuna's as well but was instead a deep orange in place of the blue. His hair was a deep, dark green, while his eyes were two separate colors. Gold in the left, and grey in the right. He had been experimented on for several years while he was young which led to an expansion in his mind, allowing him to think, react, and operate faster. However, he had managed to escape the facility he was kept in and eventually joined Celestial Being. However, his escape was mostly due to the opposing personality that had emerged due to the experiments.

Allelujah was overall a quiet, brooding, and gentle person. Even though he rarely opened up to people, he showed concern and worried about the situations of those close to him, especially the members of Celestial Being. He would also bitterness whenever someone dies, even if it was a death of an enemy. Even in the battlefield, he was not a type of person that could hide his guilt of killing someone by saying that he was just doing his job. He hated war, but because of his fate as a Super Soldier, due to the experiments, he thought that he would always be in the battlefield because of his upbringing. Because of that, he chose to accept being one of Celestial Being's members. He believed that in the organization, it was possible to end conflicts and evils around the world; and he was glad that he could contribute to that by using himself and his own abilities on the battlefield.

As for his opposing force, Allelujah had another personality, named Hallelujah. Hallelujah was formed after Allelujah received the surgery in the research institute. Hallelujah was also the one who had killed Allelujah's friends while escaping the institute. In contrast to Allelujah, Hallelujah showed no concern about other people other than himself. Even at the cost of everything, he would do anything to survive. Whenever he felt that Allelujah was doubting during battle, he would immediately switch in and do what he deemed is necessary, just so they would not get killed. He also found amusement in seeing other people die and suffer.

The difference between the two personalities often formed a conflict between them, as they rarely work together in different situations. Despite being a member for Celestial Being, Allelujah often hesitated during his missions, because he was afraid that the people (enemies or civilians alike) might get killed for no good reason. This caused Hallelujah to get angry at him at times, criticizing that Allelujah often tried to impose his opinion on others, without even understanding them, and worried just so that he could feel better about himself. He added that this hesitation of Allelujah, especially in the battlefield, would be the reason that they would get killed by the enemy in the future. On the other hand, Allelujah in some ways despised Hallelujah, as Hallelujah could easily kill people without remorse. Despite this conflict, there were times when the two could settle their differences and fight together when needed, primarily when their preferred goals coincide.

The other two were the Dylandy brothers. They were twins but could be told apart because Neil Dylandy had a large cloth covering his right eye. For a time Neil had to allow his brother Lyle to take his place while he recovered from the injuries that took his eye, and nearly his life. Their colors were green, with Neil wearing a darker green and Lyle wearing a lighter green. They both had long, shaggy, light brown hair and blue eyes.

Among the members of celestial being, Neil was the easiest going of all. Despite his difference with others, he never let it stop him from helping out in times of needs. He looked out for his team, especially to Setsuna and Tieria, was fair and yet considerate with other people's feelings, and never criticized people based on the wrongdoings they had done in the past. When someone was misunderstood, he was the one that tried to let other people, even himself, understand. He was also there for them when they felt doubts or when they expressed their sorrow. Despite admitting he was only nice to women, his kindness evidently reached out to those around him.

While Neil was kind and considerate, he also had a dark side. When it came to dealing with terrorists, he let his judgment get blinded by anger rooted from his and his brother's traumatic past. When they were young, they witnessed a suicide bombing that killed their parents and younger sister. Because of the violent death of their family, he developed a deep hatred for terrorists. While Neil also desired to change the world for the better, he was fixated by his past and his desire to avenge his family.

Like his brother Neil, Lyle was a flirty and laid-back person. Aside from having the same looks, he was also care-free and straight forward. When there was an opportunity, he would take a chance to lighten up the mood of everybody. He also cared deeply for his friends was quick to notice his teammate's problems, and did not hesitate to give advice to them. Lyle was also the sort of person who always let his intentions known when he talked. Like his brother, he also had a strong sense of justice, and was strongly motivated to make a difference to the world in his own way. However, despite being virtually the same in all aspects, Lyle's greatest dislike was being compared to Neil.

During childhood, Lyle and Neil were always being compared. Neil was always the most gifted twin among the two of them. This favoritism eventually developed an inferiority complex within Lyle. However, rather than prove his own worth, he chose to run away. This insecurity led him to avoid those who were dear to him and it stayed with him even after his family's death.

Due to inferiority complex, Lyle had a tendency to be cautious when approaching people. He could become cold, even harsh, to those around him. If someone mistook him for his older brother, he was quick to react and, at times, capable of doing drastic things to differentiate himself. When he became a member of Celestial Being, it took time for him to open up to his fellow crew members as his brother was still fresh on their minds.

Despite having problems distinguishing himself from Neil, Lyle still respected his brother. Lyle also didn't speak ill of his brother, despite having differing opinions about their family's death and having different reasons for fighting. He once said that he couldn't find a logic behind Neil's revenge. However, Lyle eventually learned and understood Neil's feelings of loss and hatred after losing a woman he loved to a terrorist.

Despite all of this, the two brothers had come together when Neil was too injured to fight with Celestial Being for a period of time. After Nail had recovered they had solved their problems and came together to fight for the same goal.

When Naruto had first entered the meeting room and seen Maizu and Gozu the three had had a bad start. However, he had gotten over it rather quickly seeing as how they were now on the same side. It helped that Zabuza and Chronicle were there to keep them all in line.

"So then Uzukage, where should we start?" Chronicle asked.

"Why don't we start with you and your motives here? You and your group."

"Alright, first you have the Celestial Knights. They were once two groups."

He proceeded to introduce the members and allowed them to tell their goals of ending war and stopping tyranny. Another thing he told them was how Celestial Being had used seals Naruto might want to look at, and how the Black Knights were founded by the Lamperouge clan. He also told how they had found documents about the elemental nations before bringing a small part of their force from around the world.

"When they came here they started out with small towns and villages, eventually gaining support but not really gaining size. Eventually I found them and asked them to join me. At that time my own force was also small, but still larger than theirs. They saw the advantage of joining someone who knew the land, knew the history, and had a similar goal to them." Chronicle said.

"As for me, I started building my group a while back. Now it's been close to five years since I brought Angela into my organization. I had started building my group together several months before that. So my organization has been growing just over five years with the goal of changing the world."

"Changing the world seems pretty broad." Mei said.

"Well, I don't know any other way to say it. That's why I sought out the Celestial Knights when they came here. I liked their goals. My own goal is broad, but I agree to support anyone so long as what they do will change the world in a way that I see as making it better. I have helped others, even ones that wanted destruction. Though that was because the people who were part of those organizations believed that they were doing the right thing. Eventually though I had to destroy them because I saw that they wouldn't bring about a better world. They believed so much in what they were doing that it took me far longer than it should have to stop them. So for now you simply need to take my words to heart that my goal is to change the world." Chronicle said with a small smile on his face.

"So now you Uzukage, what about your goals. The same for you Mei. Since you ended the war what do you plan to do?"

Mei was the first to answer. "For now there's already a lot of talk about making me the next Mizukage as soon as possible to maintain order and start putting things back on track to start rebuilding Mizu no Kuni. After I help get everything stabilized enough I'm going to start branching out to get support for our recovery. Eventually I intend on helping the Uzukage with his goal. However, I leave the rest of that up to him seeing as how he had me give my word not to reveal his identity." She said.

People started looking to Naruto as he then stood up, although it didn't make much difference because Naruto still had the lack of height that came with lack of age.

"Some of you already know who I am. But for those of you who don't, I am Naruto Namikaze Uzumaki." He said. Afterwards he told them how he was the kyuubi jinchuriki, as well as how he was betrayed.

"Well, if that's the case," Chronicle said, "you might be interested to know that my own spy network has informed me that they sent out a retrieval teem for you."

Naruto scoffed. "How the tables have turned. Go ahead and give me the information you habve on them when this meeting is over."

"Well, as for my goals that you were asking me about, they have recently changed. When I left Konoha my long term goal was to destroy Konoha after I had built Uzu to a point where it can stand against the world if it needed to. However, that has changed to become only part of the goal. There are people out there who will never allow the Jinchuiki to have peace. So I will bring them together, and then I will use the combined power of all of the allies I can gather to wipe out the corruption from this world. However, as I said destroying Konoha is still part of the plan. I will raise Uzu to a point where it can stand against the whole of the elemental nations if need be, and then Konoha will fall, as will all who stand in its way. I will turn Uzu into a representative of peace and justice."

Chronicle stood up as well. The tension in the room, as well as KI caused the occupants to become uneasy. "Tell me Naruto, what justification do you have for such a goal? It sounds much more like you wish to seat yourself in power over this world by destroying all of your enemies. Not like you really want peace."

"Let me ask you this Chronicle, who doesn't want to have the power to destroy their enemies? The problem with this world is having a good reason for doing it. Mine is to protect those I care about, to bring peace, and to get justice for those of my clan who died when my home was destroyed. Though destroying Konoha mainly comes from wanting revenge, it also comes from wanting to destroy their corruption. Konoha has been the source of pleanty of destruction in the world. It's only fair that they finally reap what they have sown. But I have no intension of being the evil dictator. If anything, once this is over I will give the tital of Uzukage to someone else and live peacefully in my home. That is my long term goal. That is my plan."

The KI radiating from Chronicle stopped. "So then, if you want revenge against those who destroyed Uzu, why make an ally out of Mizu?"

Mei tensed at this. She knew Kiri had been part of that attack and knew this would be an issue latter, but was now concerned with how this was going.

"Chronicle, are you suggesting I simply destroy all of the elemental nations? Mizu has suffered enough. Once Mei is in place she will have my help cleaning up the mess that Yagura's master has caused I will turn my full attention to other things. However, speaking of the person controlling Yagura, did you see him during your fight with Yagura?"

"No, I saw him before the fight. I spoke with him. You might be interested to know he was the one behind the kyuubi attack all those years ago." He decided to leave out the part concerning Madara and his successor.

Naruto nodded as he and Chronicle sat back down. "I thought so."

"However, I must ask what you meant by me suggesting you destroy the entire elemental nations."

"Ah that. Well Chronicle, allow me to give you a little history lesson that just might show you the truth. Let's start with the origin of the Uzumaki clan."

Naruto then explained everything he had to say. During his lesson Lelouch and others in the room asked questions but eventually it came to an end.

"I see." Chronicle said, a concerned look on his face. Even he hadn't known some of these things. He was not the only one. Naruto had just given them all information that none of them had known. "Then you have my word that so long as I see the way you're changing the world as one that will change it for the better, I will give you my support." Chronicle said. "Now then, I think that until everything is worked out for the next Mizukage we should save the rest of this meeting for later." Every one nodded and they stood up to find something else to do. However, Chronicle pulled Naruto aside before they started walking down a series of hallways.

"Now then, I suppose we should discuss this team that's on its way to retrieve you." Chronicle said with a hint of amusement in his voice.

"I completely agree."

While they were walking Chronicle asked a question that had been bothering him.

"When you started the attack, how did you create clones of your team mates?"

There was a pause as Naruto considered his words."Back when I was in Konoha I had my clones working on an extensive project. One of the parts of the project was to continue the experiments on the kage bunshin jutsu that I started back when I was in Nami no Kuni. I discovered that by using my own chakra and body as a sort of nexus that allows people or animals without the chakra needed, to use the jutsu. Because my chakra is the building block of the jutsu it allows my see the memories of those I allow to use the jutsu with me. But, this does allow them to use the jutsu as if they had my capacity and used it themselves. It's very useful when you want to create an instantly diverse army, or you want to train an animal. I was able to teach a hawk to talk and be a messenger due to that ability. And I was correct. When using that form of the jutsu with others who have bloodlines it becomes infinitely more useful for tiping the scales in your favor."

Chronicle nodded. "I understand now. That's why you went in first. So that you could take out most of their forces before your own got there. Brilliant. Thank you for explaining that to me. I've been trying to figure that out."

It took them a few more minutes of walking down the network of hallways until they came to a door. When they opened it they found a dark room with no light apart from a semi-circle of monitors. This semi-circle was focused on a man sitting in a swivel chair. The strange part was that he was sitting on his ankles while leaning over so that his knees touched his chest. He was a very slim, tall young man with black hair and dark eyes. One of his most noticeable features was the shadow below each of his eyes. He was wearing blue jean trousers, a long-sleeved, white shirt, and no shoes.

Chronicle walked up to him before putting his hand on the young man's shoulder.

"L here is the head of my intelligence network."

The man now identified as L nodded before standing up. He half walked-half shuffled over to a small desk. He picked up a folder before moving back over to Naruto and handing it to him.

"This, is the information I gathered on anything surrounding what Konoha is doing about you."

Naruto took the file and opened it and flipped to some of the most recent entry. He read up on the team and where it was headed.

"Well, then I don't have much time to head them off." Naruto said.

*break*

Naruto was using his shunshin to move faster over the elemental nations. When he stopped he was out of breath and close to chakra exhaustion. However, he was where he wanted to be. Not far from the tree line he saw the small village that Anko was supposed to be waiting for him at. He was no longer wearing his Uzukage robe as he wanted to avoid Konoha knowing about Uzushio any time soon. Instead he was in a black, short sleeve shirt with an orange stripe on the shoulders and a white Uzumaki swirl on the back with a black outline. His pants were solid black with his patch strapped to his left thigh.

He jumped out of the tree before putting a small military rations pill, or mrp, in his mouth. He had used them to continually allow movement during the month he was keeping the bunshin in his place back in Konoha. It would eventually stop being enough, but it kept him going long enough. Once that was done he pulled up his shirt to reveal a small seal on his ribs. He applied his hand and activated it. He started walking towards the village before activating the seal again twenty minutes later. By that time he was waiting at the docks.

Another half an hour later and a large ship started to pull into one of the docks with a man standing on the bow. The man standing there appeared to be a copy of the man standing on the dock. The man standing on the bow was the bunshin Naruto had sent to Uzu to get the Black Pearl before coming here.

"Did the barrier put itself back up?" Naruto asked. The clone nodded. "Good. Glad to know the seal is working. Dispel." Once the clone was gone he sighed. Kamaji wanted to talk with him when he really got back. Then Naruto felt someone come up from behind.

He turned around to see Anko.

"Well, I have been waiting for you to make your grand entrance." She said.

"It gets better." Naruto said before pulling a scroll out of his Uzukage robe. He quickly opened it before unsealing it. In a cloud of smoke five figures appeared. When the smoke cleared the newly dubbed Uzu five were sitting in chairs with earplugs and blindfolds.

After some debate two things had been decided. The first was that the Uzu four would be called five due to Sakon and Ukon practicing to gain strength when separated. The second thing was that people would be strapped to chairs and given earplugs and blindfolds to prevent the sickness that came from being in sealing scrolls for prolonged periods of time.

Naruto then woke them up. The precautions helped, but when Sakon was up he wobbled on his feet before leaning over to puke. He then opened a water canister at his hip to wash his mouth out.

"You have the sound four with you?" Anko asked.

"Who do you think organized their escape?" Naruto responded.

Once they could walk he had them and Anko follow him to a small restaurant. He had them sit before ordering his own meal and waiting for the other to do so as well. He had yet to give the Uzu five all of the details and was about to, along with Anko. Before he got the chance to explain why he brought the five Anko spoke up.

"So where's Hinata and Shino?"

"I'll explain in a moment. First off, they are no longer the sound four. They are now the Uzu five."

"Uzu?"

"Also something I will explain. First, I need you all to listen." He said as he got all of their attention. "I was able to obtain Intel that Konoha sent a team to get us, you and I Anko. Kakashi, two ANBU, an Aburame clan member, a Hyuga branch member, Kiba, and Sasuke. We don't have long. Also, that's why Hinata and Shino aren't here. If one of them leaves I don't need them reporting it back. That would mess up a plan I have in the works."

Anko nodded. "So that's why you brought us." Tayuya said. This time Naruto was nodding.

"Yes, me and Sasuke nearly killed each other last time but I still won. I can do it again. However, I still need someone to handle the others. That's where you come in."

"Wait," Anko said, "what about me? I might be able to hold off two ANBU and Kakashi for a short time, but not that long. I'm a special jonin but even that will only last so long."

"Sakon and Ukon will assist me with Sasuke and his team, the others will help you against the ANBU and Kakashi. Now, eat your meals, we leave in twenty minutes. We have to if we want to head them off in time." Naruto said as they were brought their food.

"Why do we have a time limit to head them off? Why can't they meet us here?" Jirobo asked.

"This small village is set up to send supplies to a pick up point every month for a fair fee. I don't feel like destroying it."

*break*

Sasuke was currently running through the forest nearly thirty minutes from their destination. Kakashi had tried to get him to slow down, but he had only stopped once twenty minutes ago so that he wasn't completely depleted. He didn't think he would need to fight, but knew he should be prepared in case the need arose. However, he was still staying at the front of the group. He was glad that their destination was so close, but it was short lived.

"Rasengan!"

Everything slowed down as Sasuke saw Naruto pass by him at a downward angle. He was trying to attack from above. As things sped back us he saw that the attack was aimed for Kakashi. However, as Kakashi dodged everyone in the group was forced to as well in order to avoid the debris that was shot out of the ground from the destructive orb being shoved into the ground.

When the dust settled Naruto was standing in the middle of a small crater with a bunshin to his back and one on each side. Each Naruto had their sword in hand.

"Five, Anko, you know what to do!" Naruto shouted. Before anyone could react there were small explosions causing them all to scatter. On one side Kakashi and the two ANBU were facing Anko, all of the Uzu four apart from Sakon and Ukon, and two of the Naruto bunshin. On the other side Naruto, his bunshin, Sakon, and Ukon faced the rest of the retrieval team. Sasuke was the first to shake his surprise and speak.

"Naruto, what are you doing? What happened to you? We're here to bring you back."

"And who said I want to go back Sasuke?"

Before he could respond Anko and the others took off with Kakashi and the two ANBU. Sasuke had the others stand down until Naruto attacked.

"Naruto, they won't try to kill you again, I'll make sure of it." Sasuke said, trying to convince Naruto. After the words left his mouth he realized how stupid it sounded. 'I'll make they don't tr to kill you again.' It was probably the most pathetic thing he could have thought of and he realized it instantly.

"HAHAHA! You think I care Sasuke? You are my friend Sasuke, but do not assume that means I will go back to that piss hole of a village. I really don't feel like you making an ass out of the both of us Sasuke, as the saying goes. I will never retune to that village, not before my plan gets to that point. It will be at that time that the village will fall."

"Naruto, you need to come back with us!"

"I have a better idea, why don't you come back with me?"

"What do you mean?"

"I'm saying, join me so that Konoha can fall that much easier."

"No, Naruto that is our home."

"Your home, not mine." Naruto said as he turned around. "Now leave, or attack so that you can bring me back like you were ordered to."

"If those are the only choices you're going to give me, then it's not much of a choice." Sasuke said before crouching and creating a chidori on his left hand.

Naruto turned to face him once again. "I will make you a deal Sasuke, defeat me and I…" he paused before Sasuke charged. "I will tell you the truth of the Uchuiha Massacre!" Naruto said. The moment the words left his mouth Sasuke faltered. He nearly fell over but stopped as the chidori dissipated. He was inches away from Naruto. He knew the chidori wouldn't kill him so long as it wasn't placed in a vital spot, but it didn't matter anymore. Sasuke straightened and looked Naruto in the eye.

"That's right Sasuke, how would you like to know why it happened? Hm? But you have to beat me first. If you don't I will have to have Itachi tell you once I recruit him." Naruto said, keeping his face blank the entire time. Sasuke at that moment didn't know why, but something slipped away.

"TAKE HIM DOWN! ALIVE! NOW!" Sasuke yelled. The moment the words left his mouth Naruto's clone took Kiba, while Sakon and Ukon took on the Aburame and Hyuga clan members. They quickly forced them away onto their own clearings. The real Naruto was forced on the defensive as Sasuke pulled a kunai out and tried to cut Naruto across his face. He wanted to slow him down and knew it would heal.

Naruto quickly dodged before bringing up his sword to block another slash. Naruto took the small delay in Sasuke's reaction to being blocked to push him back. Before Sasue could go back at it Naruto spoke again.

"Come on Sasuke, stop trying to hit me and hit my."

"AAAAHHHHH!" Sasuke screamed as he pulled a small tanto out and went back at Naruto again. Sasuke was angry that Naruto was taunting him, this caused his movments to become less controlled, no matter how rapid they were. Every attack he made, Naruto deflected with little trouble. Sasuke raised his tanto to try and bring it down at Naruto's face. He quickly realized how much of a mistake it was as Naruto wasted no time before planting his foot in Sasuke's chest with enough force to send him backwards through a tree, and then put in indent into the next tree. He didn't stay down for long before charging Naruto again. Before he could react Naruto had him by the neck.

"Sasuke, my bunshin was dispelled by that troublesome Kiba. Excuse me for a moment." Naruto said before spawning another clone. He threw Sasuke into the air before the bunshin jumped up and spun around before using a kick to send Sasuke flying into the trees. Not two seconds later Kiba came from the trees on another side of the clearing with his sharpened nails going for Naruto's throat. Naruto quickly jumped to the side before moving low to the ground so that he could kick Akamaru in the ribs as the ninken tried to bite into Naruto's neck as well. Naruto quickly straightened before jumping away.

"I don't care what my orders are, you're going to die kyuubi!" Kiba yelled before charging again. Naruto instantly created several bunshin. One quickly grabbed Kiba by the throat and used Kiba's momentum to drive him to the ground. The bunshin turned Kiba's head to make him watch as the real Naruto roundhouse kicked Akamaru away again before using his sword to but the dog across the side. The dog whined in pain. Kiba wanted to scream but he was struggling to breath with the bunshin on top of his neck.

"Your dog looks to be in pain. Let's put it out of its misery." Naruto said with an evil grin. Kiba wanted to cry out for him to stop as Naruto formed hand seals before shouting. "Pit of despair jutsu!" Naruto yelled before driving his hands into the ground.

The ground opened up under the ninken. The dog tried to jump away but its injuries were not the only thing hindering it. As the hole opened up two large hands made out of the earth reached up and grabbed the dog and dragged it down. All hope of stopping this left Kiba as the hole slammed shut with a yelp of pain as Akamaru was crushed.

Naruto turned to Kiba. "Now that wasn't so bad. Quick and painless."

He didn't give Kiba a chance as the clones dispelled only for Naruto himself to grab Kiba by the neck, lifted his head up, and slammed it back down to stun him. He quickly picked Kiba up and threw him into a nearby tree before weaving hand signs again.

"Katon: valley of ashes!" Naruto yelled before his middle started to glow. In an instant he threw his arms out as an inferno shot out in every direction. Kiba had no chance to do anything as he was still trying to shake the fog out of his mind from his head being slammed into the ground. When the flames cleared all that was left was a much larger clearing made up nothing but burned twigs where the trees used to be, and ashes in place of everything else. On the outside of the clearing most of the trees were crisped and devoid of life. On the far reaches of the jutsu's range the trees were singed with their leaves burnt off.

As he went to leave the clearing to find Sasuke he felt a hand grip his ankle. He looked down to see the destroyed, yet somehow still alive body of Kiba looking up at him. What was left of his face moved, as he tried to speak. Naruto bent down to hear his last words. It was faint and Naruto could barely make it out, but did so none the less.

"Tell my….mother and sister….I'm sorry….that I didn't….stay alive like….I promised." Kiba ground out with each pause punctuated by the painful intake of air that nearly caused him to die before he could finish. However, when he was done he was still alive somehow. Life clung to him. Almost like a disease. Naruto couldn't stand the sight and slashed with his sword. Kiba's head rolled away in the same second. As he stood up he heard screaming. He looked to see a slightly singed Sasuke charging at him. His curse mark covering him body, still in the first stage.

Naruto didn't let him get very far as he pulled up his sword and shoved it through Sasuke's heart, and out of Sasuke's back.

Sasuke hadn't expected Naruto to go for a killing blow. After all, Naruto had claimed that Sasuke was still his friend. He slumped over as the curse seal receded to its origin point.

"Why? You said I was your friend, yet you went for a killing blow."

"You misunderstand Sasuke." Naruto said as he laid the Uchiha down on the ground. He had Sasuke on his back as he removed his sword. "I did go for a killing blow, but not with the intention of killing." He saw the confusion on Sasuke's face. "It was a gift. I have freed you of Orochimaru. Your wounds are already healing." Naruto said before turning Sasuke over on his side and looking at where his shoulder met his neck. The curse mark was still there. "Let me rephrase that. I will have freed you of him in a moment." Naruto placed his hand on the seal before Pain shot through Sasuke like billions of needles were entering every pore of his body. He blacked out. His eyes opened a moment later and his bones had a dull ache. He looked up to see Naruto setting him back down. He had blacked out only for a few moments.

"Now that his influence is gone, I will give you a conciliation prize. I will still tell you about the massacre, but only after I give you a history lesson that will show you the truth." Naruto now had Sasuke's full attention. Before he could continue Sakon and Ukon landed next to Naruto as he sat down.

"Naruto, we were able to take care of ours." Sakon said.

"Good, go help Anko and the others with their job." They nodded before disappearing.

"Now then, allow me to tell you where my thirst for justice comes from. My goal is to create peace and bring about justice."

"Justice? Are you kidding? Naruto, you killed Kiba. He was our…." He paused. He knew that Naruto would never accept that. Kiba and Naruto hated each other. "He was my friend. You talked about joining Itachi, the man who slaughtered my clan. You talk about destroying the Leaf. My village, if not ours. If you do that, I will have to kill you! Yet doing all of these things, you're talking about justice? What part of that plan brings about peace and justice?"

"Fine, then what do you suggest for bringing those things about?"

"I already told you I would kill you if I had to."

"Oh, I see. That would be justice if I carried those things out and you killed me. That would be justice." Naruto said, standing up to look down at Sasuke.

"However, what about my friends? My clan? My village? What about my friends that I want to defend? What about my clan that was slaughtered? What about my village that was destroyed? My village suffered the same fate Konoha eventually will, at the hands of Konoha shinobi. How is it fair to let only you preach about justice?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Allow me to get onto my little history lesson. You might know this first part being an Uchiha, but just in case. I recently came across some documents and personal accounts that helped me piece together the past." Naruto cleared his throat and continued.

"Long ago there was a man named Hagoromo Otsutsuki, also known as the Sage of Six Paths. Long ago, the nine biju didn't exist. Instead they were part of a monster, the juubi. The ten tails. He eventually sealed the monster into himself. He became the first jinchuriki. However, eventually his life started coming to a close. He had to stop the monster from being unleashed when he died, so he used the abilities of the legendary rinnegan, I'm sure you've heard about that, to divide the juubi into nine equal parts. The nine biju." He could hear the kyuubi yelling that they weren't equal, he was the strongest. Naruto ignored him. "Now, seeing as how you now know how the biju came to be, I can get on with my story."

"Now, the sage had two sons, Asura and Indra. Asura, the younger brother, inherited the sage's body. The older brother, Indra, inherited the sage's eyes. However, before the man died he asked his two sons a question. How should one bring about peace? The older brother said that strength was the answer, the younger said the answer was understanding. He chose that the younger brother should be his successor. It was a foolish decision. He should have told them that his true legacy was for both of his sons to come together, to create a balance between the two, and that they should have worked together to create the peace that neither of them could have created alone. He tried to create a peaceful world by entrusting his legacy to one brother, but instead created a never ending war. However, it can't be changed now. The point is, that these two brothers become the first Uchiha and the first Senju."

"Let me guess, Asura was the Senju and Indra was the Uchiha." It wasn't a question. He could tell just by their answers and what they had inherited.

"Correct, but eyes and body were not the only things they inherited. They also obtained the sage's own writings about his life. He left them histories and such. However, generations later, as the Uchiha clan and Senju clan waged war, two people grew tired of being surrounded by death. One was a man of the Senju clan, though he was an odd senju with red hair, the other a woman of the Uchiha clan who was also odd and also had red hair. For now I will not go into their personal history apart from the fact that they fell in love and decided to take mast of the information about the clans. It wasn't as if anyone cared, the two clans cared about strength at the time, not information and understanding. So they left and eventually found an island home. They formed their own clan. The only reason anyone cared was because of the fact that they were from the two different clans, but they didn't care enough to pursue them when they left."

"Now, the two eventually had a son. The son had red hair as well. He also had the great rinnegan. It was due to the two bloodlines mixing once again for the first time in so long. However, he used this this great power not for power, but to create a village. This son of theirs eventually decided to partly follow in the footsteps of the sage. He eventually went onto a battle field were the Senju were using the kyuubi as they had been doing since the sage had died. If you know what it is, it was why the first Uchiha developed the Susanoo, to counter the biju. So he took the kyuubi from the Senju and sealed it into himself so that it couldn't be used for their war. After that he disappeared and no trace of him was seen until generations later. After the man disappeared he created a clan that inherited the long life of both clans. He created the Uzumaki clan. This son of the Uchiha and Senju, was the first Uzumaki."

"So generations later his decedents appeared. Over time their relations with the Senju grew much faster than they did with the Uchiha. The Uchiha harbored resentment over the first Uzumaki taking away the only challenge the Senju could offer against the few of them that could manifest the susanoo. Their honor kept them from using the advanced sharingan ability. So they resented the Uzumaki because of it. It was also because the Uzumaki were descended from the woman who betrayed and left them. But, over time it stopped mattering as Konoha was eventually formed. The only problem the Uzumaki ever had with the Uchiha was that before the forming of Konoha, Madar Uchiha used a genjutsu to get the kyuubi from its jinchuriki in Uzushiogakure. Afterwards though, it was sealed into Mito Uzumaki who had been married to Hashirama Senju in a political marriage. Eventually they came to love each other, but that doesn't change why they were wed in the first place."

"Now, decades later Uzushio was feared by the entire world. But no one could lay a hand on them due to their relationship with Konoha. Until one day, Uzushio was tired of losing so many people to the death of wars that Konoha was a part of. They wanted a power and political standing of their own. They agreed to send Konoha one more jinchuriki when Mito was near death, but after that they said they would no longer be part of the leaf. Allied, but not part of as they were before. Konoha had no problem because they would still get aid seeing as how Uzu would still be an ally. Until Uzu tried to create an organization of their own. They tried getting the small surrounding countries to join them in what they called the Orb Union. They were going to stay out of any war that didn't concern them. They would defend and retaliate, and aid allies, but they would stay out of their wars. Even if they were allies. They were successful until they were destroyed. But let me tell you how that happened."

"One day, the third Hokage was pressed by other nations and his own council to take action against Uzu. Eventually he caved and became part of the coordinated attack that destroyed my ancestral home and clan. Now that island country is behind an unbreakable barrier, beyond even my reach. But what else happened around that time? My mother, Kushina Uzumaki, was brought to Konoha to be the next kyuubi container right before Uzushio was destroyed. And then, years later, she got married. Her husband was Minato Namikaze, the Yondaime." He saw the understanding on Sasuke's face.

"So then, one day a man in a mask, claiming to be Madara Uciha, attacked when my mother was about to give birth. During child birth, you see, the seal weakens. He used this opportunity to unseal the kyuubi and use it to attack the village. But, my father drove him back and sealed the kyuubi into me. He wanted me to be treated like a hero. You see how well his last wish worked out for him. But then my heritage was kept secret, from everyone. They didn't was Iwa or Kumo to come for the son of their most hated enemy."

"Now, tell me Sasuke, why I should not kill your friends when they tried to kill mine. The sound four for example. Why shouldn't I join a man who killed your clan when you have joined people who killed mine? Why can't I destroy the village responsible for the destruction of mine? Answer my question Sasuke and I shall tell you the truth behind the Uchiha massacre. Why can I not have my justice?"

"You and I are seeking the very same thing. You and I are the same. We are both motivated by our desire for justice. The justice I will deliver to Konoha will be no different then what you will ty to do to me when I do it. You strive for your justice, and I for mine. So now, answer my question. Why can I not have my justice? I want to know your answer."

Sasuke just laid there. After a few moments he spoke. "I'm sorry Naruto. I didn't know. And now, I don't know what I should do." There was a pause.

Naruto gave a small, half smirk, half smile. "Now, I am going to tell you of the Uchiha massacre."

Before Naruto could speak again he was forced to jump away as not even a second later three shuriken passed through the space where his head used to be. Naruto and Sasuke looked at where they had come from. From there Kakashi cmae flying out of the trees before landing next to Sasuke. He didn't look good. Ge looked ragged, defeated, and tired. There were cuts and singes all over him, especially a large burn on his shoulder. He quickly kneelt down and grabbed Sasuke before using a shunshin and disappearing. A second later Anko appeared.

"Anko! What happened!? I told you and the others to force him to retreat!"

"We tried. But just a moment ago he took a small fire jutsu to the shoulder and used the dust cloud that was created to make B-line straight for you. The others aren't in very good condition. We couldn't stop him in time. He did retreat, but I'm guessing by your reaction you didn't get the chance to finish."

Naruto shook his head. "No. no I did not. This is not good. You said the others weren't in very good condition either?" She nodded. He sighed. "Fine. We can't change things now. Get them together and let's go home."

"You still haven't told me where this home is Naruto." Anko said. She could tell he was still in a bad mood over what had happened, but she wanted answers.

"Tell me Anko, have you ever heard of Uzushio?"

*break*

Naruto was now sitting at his desk with Kamaji, Anko, and the Uzu five.

Anko was contemplating everything Naruto had just told her. He had explained the history lesson he had told Sasuke as well as everything he had done since leaving Konoha. Kamaji already knew everything.

"So then, what do we do now?" Anko asked.

"Well, for now I want to handle Yagura and one of the other Jinchuriki. There are also a few things I want to discuss. After that we will gather people and grow before we try making a move again."

"First order of business though," Naruto said before pulling out a box. He handed it to Kamaji. "Kamaji, you told me you could handle some politics and during my stay in Mizu you handled things well. I'm going to trust you with everything from now on during times when I'm gone." He said as Kamaji opened the box. Inside was a red hoari with blue flames along the bottom and black lettering along the spine. The lettering was the kanji for Nidaime Uzukage. Kamaji was stunned.

"Why?"

"I can't stay here all the time like other Kages. What's the point of being so strong if you aren't on the front lines? How can a leader expect his followers to follow if he won't lead from the front with everyone else? I will still be Uzukage, but so will you. I need you to handle things here when I'm not here." Kamaji nodded in understanding.

"Now then, I think it's time to go talk with Yagura."

*break*

For the first time in years Yagura slowly opened his eyes as he felt something calling him back to consciousness. Before he cleared the fog from his eyes his memories came back. This included the last thing he remembered. The sharing casting him into a dark pit of illusion. He suddenly jerked up to try and defend himself. His panic rose even more when he realized that his chakra was suppressed and that he was tied down. Then he felt a hand on his shoulder. Then a voice. It felt so far away as he tried to hear the words.

"-down Yagura. Calm-. I need you to-. Yagura, you need to listen to-. –is no longer controlling you. Calm down and – help you understand."

Yagura slowly calmed down as his vision and hearing returned. It felt as though he hadn't used them in far too long. He blinked several times as an image of someone with red hair and blue eyes standing over him. If he looked hard enough it seemed that a golden blond was growing in at the base of the person's hair. Yagura was able to then realize that the person in front of him was only around fourteen. Then he spoke.

"Hello Yagura. It has been a long time since you were awake. Sorry about tying you down. I thought you might react violently when you woke up and needed to take precautions."

"Why? The last thing I remember is the sharingan."

"I figured that much. Listen, you have been in a genjutsu for the last few years."

The news shocked Yagura.

"I'm sorry to say this, but you were forced to do some things you come to hate yourself for later. I won't tell you now. I want you to understand that no matter how much you might feel so, you were not responsible for what happened. For now you just need to get used to moving around again." He started to undo the restraints keeping Yagura down. "I'll give you an hour to prepare yourself and get used to being awake again. You have been asleep for a few years. By the way, my name in Naruto, Naruto Uzumaki." Naruto said as he finished releasing the straps and then walking out of what now appeared to be a small hospital room.

As Naruto walked out of the room Yagura was staying in he was met with Kamaji.

"Naruto, I figured you might want to know that the people from Snow will be here soon."

"Good. After I'm done getting they and Yagura settled I'll go back to Mizu to finish things up there and get Hinata and Shino before I go retrieve the Nanabi jinchuriki. You got that file on them together for me, correct?"

"Yes, her name is Fuu. You already know where she is. Her village hates her, so you might want to go get her soon. The sooner, the more she will appreciate you."

*break*

Naruto was walking through Takigakure looking for Fuu. It had been a few days since he had greeted the people from Snow to help them settle in. some of them were not happy, others were indifferent but were fine about being there, and others were happy to see a new place, especially considering that it was the legendary Uzushio. Afterwards he had gone to finish everything in Mizu and bring back Hinata, Shino, and his Uzu nin. Zabuza and Haku had decided to stay in Kiri for the time being and help keep things in order. Afterwards, Naruto had come back and talked Yagura through everything that had happened in the past years. He had explained how he was the kyuubi junchuriki. He also explained how he had resurrected Uzu and intended to destroy Konoha for their betrayal.

Naruto continued to search for the girl he was looking for as he walked down the streets. He had managed to sneak in as a civilian. It was easy seeing as how he looked nothing like his bingo book photo. As he walked he saw a sight that nearly made him want to kill everyone around him. He looked at a small alleyway where his target was laying on small layers of card board. He walked over to her and knelt down. She was unconscious, and not in good condition.

"Much like Gaara you have suffered your own terrible fate. Do not worry, now I'm here to shatter the world that tries to make us suffer for the burdens we did not choose. Allow me to give you a gift." Naruto said before creating two clones. While he picked up Fuu and held her close to him his clones flanked him as he walked out of the alley. The moment he was back on the street people started staring at him. a few moments later he hit a wall of people.

"Where do you think you're going with the freak?" one of them asked.

"It doesn't concern you since you and anyone else in my way in the next five seconds are going somewhere else entirely." Naruto said with a blank face.

"And here would that be?"

"Your graves." Naruto said as his clones flashed through hand signs before activating their jutsu.

"Summoning!" they both shouted before the entire surrounding area was engulfed in smoke. When it cleared two large dragons now stood next to Naruto. One was a Japanese dragon that almost appeared to be coiled around itself. It had a green underbelly while the rest of it was red apart from its white mane behind its head. I also had dark blue eyes.

The other was a humanoid dragon that appeared to be wearing armor. It wore olden armor on its claws, both hands and feet, as well as mostly black armor everywhere else. Its wings almost appeared to be metal feathered wings, with small purple and gold coloring closer to the body while the feathers at the end were a reddish orange. Floating behind it by some invisible force was a golden, stylized disk.

Instantly everyone was running.

"Greeting my friends. These people have tortured the innocent I hold in my hands. I would like you to make them scream. Spare the children and any who are innocent. But, do so only in the immediate area. If you only leave children who are innocent they will suffer. Even if they are guilty, spare enough to care for the innocent." Naruto said before he continued walking. The two dragon summons quickly set to work destroying everything around them. As Naruto continued walking towards the exit he couldn't help but smirk as he heard their screams of horror at what was happening.

"Soon this world shall be pushed in the direction of justice. And if need be, I will make sure that push becomes a shove in the right direction. This entire world is about to change. Now all that's left is to finish the few tasks I have left and everything will be set."

*break*

A few days after Kakashi and Sasuke, all that was left of the retrieval team, returned Sasuke was standing in front of the council. He had just finished telling them everything he had been told. How Naruto had orchestrated the sound shinobi being freed, how he was Minato's and Kushina's son, and everything he had been told about the past behind the Uzumaki.

"Lies." Said one of the elders that always followed Danzo.

"No, I was there." said Tsunade. "Danzo, you know that the parts about Uzu being attacked are true. We were part of it, remember."

"How could I forget?" He said, sighing. "I was one of the people that pressured him into attacking. Though, now it seems as though that is coming back to bite us." He said, now contemplating what move he should make next.

"As for being the son of the Yondaime, it has to be impossible." Danzo said.

"Actually," Jiraiya said, "Minato's and Kushina's home has been missing from its property. Looked as though it was sealed into a scroll. He shouldn't have even known about it, let alone been able to get near it. As much as I hate to admit it, the possibility that he really is Minato's son gets larger every passing moment. And then there's the sound shinobi he has with him. Next time he will be stronger. I want to take Sasuke on a training trip. Naruto will be getting stronger, he needs to train as much as possible."

"I agree." Said Tsume. "He needs to be taken down for what he did to my son."

"And he will." Tsunade said.

After the meeting was over Sasuke walked out quickly. He wondered if he had made the correct choice in not telling them that Naruto was about to tell them about the truth behind the Uchiha Massacre. He still didn't trust them, but he did need them.

*break*

The Akatsui were once again gathered on the fingertips of the statue.

"I will now be changing the teams to a degree." Said the leader. "Sasori, from now on you will be partnered with Kakazu to replace Hidan."

"Hey! What about me?!" Deidara asked.

"You will be partnered with our newest member." Pain said as a man in the regular Akatsuki cloak and an orange mask appeared.

The man in the mask spoke in a high pitched childish voice as he flung his arms around and spun in place.

"Oh boy! Oh boy! I can't wait to start working with you Deidara-senpai! WOOO!" As he finished he spun downward into a sitting position on the finger he was designated for. Deidara sweat dropped as he looked at pain with a face that asked if he was serious and pointed at the new member.

"You can't be serious. This guy is an S-rank missing nin?"

Pain nodded.

"Now, we have a problem that we need to discuss."

"What is it now? First Orochimaru, then the kyuubi brat, now what?" asked Kisame.

"Actually, it is still the kyuubi. It took work, but we were able to confirm that a man going by Uzukage was in Kiri. He helped end the war there and took the sanbi with him. It took a lot of work on the part of our intelligence network, but we were able to confirm that the kyuubi was the Uzukage. Then, a man matching the Uzukage's description attacked Takigakure."

"Hmm. Perhaps I should thank him for that." Kakazu interrupted.

"As I was saying. He took the nanabi with him. Then he disappeared as he did after leaving Konoha. This is a problem. They must be found. No matter how many of the biju we get, it won't matter without those three. You are dismissed for now. I want them found."

As Itachi faded away he couldn't help but give a small smirk at how much trouble Naruto was causing.

*break*

Chronicle was laying down as he started to remember some of his time with his mentor. As the scene came into focus he drifted off to relive the moment in his mind.

*break*

The boy had been living with the woman for a long time now. The woman had white hair, blue eyes, wore a long black trench coat, black pants, and a white shirt that exposed part of her midsection.

Originally she would not treat him like an orphan or adopted child, but rather orders him around like her assistant, and sexually harasses him on numerous occasions. However, as the years passed and he grew, she had become a morally questionable guardian for him. He had been living with her for eight years, and now the results were ready to show.

They never used names. It was never needed because it was just the two of them. However, as they were gearing up they were about to give each other identities for the first time.

They had been hired to do a job, but against their wishes were to join a team on said mission.

"Alright, while working with these guys we will be working with code names." She said.

"Alright," he responded, "I will go by the designation Chronicle."

"Nice," she said while giving a smile, "You can call me Natalia Kaminski."

*break*

Chronicle shot up out of his bed and across the room to a small table with a book on it. He opened it before clicking a pen and writing down on one of the blank pages. Every page was filled in with memories he had written down to keep from forgetting them.

He had long ago forgotten why he had called her Natalia before he had left, and the memory always stopped before she said her code name. That was why. That was the missing piece.

He jotted it down before closing the book and walking over to a chair that he proceeded to slump down into.

He picked up a small, glass cup sitting on a stump of a table next to the chair. The cup was empty, but that didn't matter as he hurled it across the room. The shattered pieces went everywhere due to the shear force behind the throw.

"One year. It has "been an entire year since I remembered something new. I wonder if I will ever remember my name." he muttered to himself. He knew that he shouldn't care that much, but it was the one thing he had forgotten that was important to him. His name was all he had left of his parents. But that wasn't why he cared. It simply infuriated him that all he could go by now was Chronicle. He had tried to call himself other names, to adopt a name and live a normal life, but Chronicle was the only other name in his life that was important to him.

"But, then what do I do? I can't remember, and it will probably never come to me. So why can't I move on." But then a thought came to him. He sighed. "I guess it's exactly because I can't remember that I can't let it go."

He closed his eyes before drifting back off into sleep.

**[A/N] Another one bites the dust. Alright, another down. Remember, favorite, follow, and review. Now, next chapter I will probably skip forward in time a year or two. But, how do you guys like the back story I have started to give Chronicle? I need you all to tell me what you think so I can turn this in the right direction. Also, I know Naruto having the dragin summoning contract has been used multiple times before, but felt it was the best option. And now I realize that I have been procrastinating on getting an updated chapter two and three. I won't make promises, but I will try to get chapter two updated in the next week. For now, until next time.**


	12. Uzumaki: Start Rising

**[A/N]****So I now give you chapter twelve. Now, I will probably introduce a time skip in this chapter or the next at some point so that some of the things Naruto does can be more fitting with his age. I want him taken seriously by the other characters. Also, I'm trying to think about a few things as far as the direction this will take, so I hope you like it and review. I don't own Naruto or any of my other material.**

Naruto was sitting down in one of the chairs in his personal library as he closed his eyes to enter his mind scape. When he entered, the Kyuubi was silent. He already knew that Naruto wasn't there for him. Naruto was there for the figure standing in the shadows.

"I take it that you are the one that was talking in my mind before. During that moment with Hinata." Naruto said. He could see the figure shift. It was nodding.

"Well, then I think I understand. I really am walking a thin line if you're here. So then tell me. What part are you?"

The figure chuckled. "Think about my words. It should be obvious."

Naruto thought for a moment before he chuckled as well. "I guess you're right. It should have been completely obvious. The moment I break, you'll make your move. Am I right?"

The figure nodded. "The moment you so much as crack I will be there."

"I guess I should be careful from now on then." Naruto said before fading away.

*break*

Naruto walked into the hospital room that Fuu was sleeping in. When he walked in he saw Yagura sitting in a chair next to her. Naruto hadn't expected him to still be there, as he was a few hours ago.

"I expected you to have gone to unpack some of your belongings in your new home." Naruto said as Yaura looked up at the new entrant.

"Yes, but I've been watching our newest friend. There is something I need to say my friend."

"It took me a long time to become respected in my village. It took me saving it from destruction multiple times just for them to stop hating me. And yet, you, the sand jinchuiki and she got the worst of it. I was able to keep tabs on the jinchuriki from the other villages. The ones from Iwa are feared and are not respected. The ones from Kumo are actually treated quite well for Jinchuriki. Over the years they have reached rather good positions of respect in their own villages, but some still fear them. None are ever brave enough to attack them though because one of them is the brother of the Raikage." Yagura said.

"I will accept your terms of becoming an Uzu shinobi so long as you agree to bring all of the Jinchuriki together. We all know the pain of the Jinchuriki's burden. So I want you to bring them all together, in a place where they will get the respect they deserve for protecting people. Bring together the jinchuiki." Yagura finished.

"Your only stipulation for joining me is what I was already going to do? I accept." Naruto said as he sat down next to Yagura. "I will tell you what I told Fuu as I carried her out of her retched village. She was unconscious but I told her anyways. 'Do not worry now, I'm here to shatter the world that tries to make us suffer for the burdens we did not choose.'"

"Know this, Yagura, I will change this world into one of justice. One where we don't have to suffer the cruelty of those who cannot see past their own fear. Do not worry, I will keep my word. I will shatter this current world. Later on I would like it if you helped me put together all the information on the Jinchuriki. I will bring them together." Naruto said.

Yagura nodded, pleased with his answer.

"We should wake her up now. The jinchuriki need to come together, as they should have a long time ago. Things have hindered us though."

"What do you mean?"

Naruto sighed. "I mean that the jinchuriki should be united, and that things like those that hate us have hindered such a thing from happening. I intend for us to take up positions of power, that way we can truly stop the suffering this world has tried to inflict on us and itself. Now let's wake her." Yagura hesitated. The look in Naruto's eyes screamed the determination at what he was going to do.

"I thought you told this Chronicle person that you didn't even intend on remaining as the Uzukage once you accomplish your goals."

"Chronicle's views and goals are too simple. I will do what it takes to keep his help until I no longer need it. I do intend on bringing peace and justice to the world like I told him, but the position of power part was a lie. The jinchuriki need power to insure that this world doesn't suffer, and that our eventual successors do not either. And while I can see the man's point of view, I will kill him if he gets in my way. The man's goals are good, trying to change the world for the better, but I must do what can to see my overall plans come to fruition."

"I believe I'm starting to understand a little bit more. But I have a question for you first. Why do you think we never left our villages? We have suffered so much at their hands, yet we always stayed. Why?"

"The answer is simple Yagura, we had no other place to go. We were brought up to believe it was our duty to protect our homes. Our villages. Now the world will be shown the folly of its actions against us. Now, let's wake her."

Yagura nodded as Naruto place a hand on the back of her neck. A seal appeared before fading away. It was a seal meant to keep people resting when they needed it. It took a few moments before Fuu started to groan in protest to being woken. However, when she realized that she was no longer in the hard, damp, cold, and dark ally, but in a soft, warm, dry bed in a lit room she nearly shot up. She had led a miserable life, but still had practiced in the shinobi arts. Her first thought was to assess the situation, but the stiffness in her limbs, ach in her bones, and hand on her shoulder kept her from going back into the mattress she was laying on. She looked around and saw the two standing over her.

"Where am I?" her voice was soft, but cracked and coarse at the same time due to her throat being so dry. She felt a cup come to her lips. Her first instinct was to refuse the drink that could be poisoned, but her much larger instincts for survival and the need to feel the cold liquid at her lips enter her throat over rid the first instinct and she drank the water being offered her.

"Hello Fuu. My name is Naruto Uzumaki, and this is Yagura. We are your friends. Just calm down and I will explain." Naruto said. "You no longer have to worry about the village that made you suffer my friend."

She looked at him with a questioning look.

"First of," he said with an amused look, "I destroyed a good portion of your village as we left It." he saw the look of horror in her face at what she had just heard.

"You destroyed my village?"

"That place is no longer your home. Do not cling to that place simply because you don't believe you have nowhere else to go. That leads me to my second thing. You are no longer in your old village. You are now home. Not this room of course, but my village. Our village. Come with me and I will explain." Naruto said as he helped her out of the bed. She felt stiff, but feeling was starting to return as she stood up and moved. After she took the time to get her bearings and eat some food, Naruto took her and Yagura to the Uzukage tower before they used a lift to take them to the roof. When they got there he led them to the edge where they looked out.

"I should probably give you a more formal introduction. I am Naruto Namikaze Uzumaki, Kyuubi jinchuriki, and the Shodaime Uzukage." He chuckled at her look of shock. "Welcome to Uzushiogakure. Now then, how would you like to know how and why I intend to shatter the world?"

*break*

Konan walked through the halls of the tower in Ame. She had something to discuss with her friend. As she entered the office of Pain, Tendo Pain, the primary path that Nagato used to represent himself, turned to greet her. She walked passed him and entered into two double doors to see Nagato standing there, albeit shakily. The more Pains in use, the harder it became for him to move. That was why he was a throne with large legs. When all six pains were in use he would use it to move around.

"Konan," he said, looking up at her with his rinnegan, "Is there something you need?"

She stopped in front of him. "I wanted to talk with you. It's about the goals of the Akatsuki." She placed a hand on his shoulder and her voice became softer. "We long ago decided to support Yahiko in ending war and suffering in this world. Not only that, but this Naruto Uzumaki stopped the war in Mizu in less than a month. He is also part of your clan Nagato. I think we should rethink some of our goals. Think about what we could do with him on our side."

Nagato grimaced. "I have been thinking about those things Konan. But I don't know. Think of how far we have come with this ideal. We are so close to doing it. All we need is for the final preparations to be made and then go capture them. And yet, I have to wonder if this is right. I have to wonder what I should do."

"Nagato, while I want you to reconsider, I will always stand by you. You know that." He nodded at her words.

"We shall see." He said. "There may come a time when the current me might want you to kill the me that I become."

*break*

A few weeks after getting Fuu back on her feet and training with her and Yagura, Naruto stood in his office with a grim expression on his face. While he knew he was strong, he was not so foolish as to believe that he could stand against Jiraiya and/or Tsunade in a one on one fight.

"I want to shatter this world, and yet I can't even shatter those two. Well, as Uzugakure grows, so will I. he turned away from the windows and walked to his desk. He looked at Fuu and Yagura standing in front of his desk before asking them to leave, and then biting both of his thumbs before taking a few moments to wield individual seals. He placed his hands to the desk as smoke filled the room. On one side sat the small form of the elder toad, Fukasaku. On the other floated a Japanese dragon about half of Naruto's size. The dragon seemed to have a slight wrinkle to his face with an aged expression. It had golden eyes, a white mane of hair with black streaks flowing through it came down from the horned ridge at the back of the dragon's head. Its skin was a dark blue with a grey underbelly. When the dragon spoke it commanded great authority, but sounded like the voice of a calm and wise old man.

"Hello Naruto. How have things been going with the young Fuu you told us about?" the dragon spoke.

"They have been going well, as has the village Ryu. Things are going at a decent pace, though I fear that the traitorous Konoha will not fall for a few years. My allies are still recuperating, and I am too small to fight the world alone, even with your help. That is actually the reason I called you both here. You have told me about sage mode, and I have read the things you gave me and that I found in the Uzu libraries. When Jiraiya uses sage mode he takes on toad like features, and then there have been others that have taken on other features depending on the clan they studied under. In the past, those who managed to achieve sage mode for the snakes approached a dragon _like_ state in the most uncontrolled versions. Throughout all of my findings, when they achieve full control they are left with some of the best attributes. There aren't many enhancements a human being can undergo when using the toad sage mode apart from the eyes, but when in water those using this mode also grow webbed fingers and toes to enhance movement. So I would like it if you could tell me about the differences in sage modes." Naruto said before removing his Uzukage robe and sitting down.

Fukasaku spoke up. "So, you want to start training in the sage arts?"

"Yes. A large portion of Jiraiya's strength comes from the sage mode. I will need to counter him, blow for blow. So yes, I would like to start training in the arts."

Ryu spoke up this time. "It has to do with the environment. The differences you spoke of. The flow of nature energy differs in the different places that the summons live. In Ryuchi Cave the energy slithers around and strikes as if the chakra that makes up the place is a snake itself. On Mount Myoboku it jumps from one place to another, rarely staying still for even a moment, or it swims as though the toads themselves were swimming. At the great cliffs of the birds the energy flies through the air gracefully and glides on the wind. In the mountains of the elements where the dragons dwell the energy flies like at the cliffs of the aviaries, but there it is more fierce and graceful on the wind and on the land."

Fukasaku continued the explanation. "It is the way the body learns to use the nature energy. As the body learns to channel the nature energy through itself it starts to take on features that come with the way the energy flows. The less control you have while trying to channel the energy of Mount Myoboku the more toad like you become the same for the other places of the summons. It all has to do with the way the chakra flows in nature, and through the body."

Naruto sat there thinking. Then he spoke a question that had occurred to him. "What if one was to learn to channel the flow of two different contracts?"

Ryu chuckled before continuing. "I was once summoned by an Uzumaki so that an experiment of his friend could be recorded. Said Uzumaki was also able to use the contract of the bears. His friend on the other hand, held the contracts of the snakes and the crows. They had both gone through the exceedingly difficult task of forcing their bodies to channel the nature energy in multiple directions, but only one at a time. The friend, however, tried to take it further. Ha had mastered the snake and crow. This gave him amazing flexibility, the senses of a snake, and an extra head that belonged to a snake coming from his lower back for the snake contract. Scales would grow around his eyes, along his forearms, and around the small of his back where the snake emerged from his back. When using the crows his face would be framed by large, dark feathers that also formed a mane around his head and down his back. The feathers would also go down his arms leading to the claws his hands would become. From his back would sprout large wings belonging to a crow. The wings would grow to a point where they slightly merged with his shoulders. He was magnificent with both of the sage modes, but had decided to take it to further and attempt to channel both flows at once."

"It was successful at first as he started to grow the scales and the feathers, then the wings and snake tail. It was magnificent to watch as he became a new and powerful force all his own. He created something new that day. Unfortunately the stress ripped his body apart. He didn't survive. His body couldn't handle the stress of all that nature energy going in two different directions."

"Could I ask what clan he was from?" Naruto asked.

"He was from no clan. Just an incredibly rare source of brilliance."

"And what of the Uzumaki?"

"The Uzumaki that was there with him mourned the loss of his friend and decided to carry on his experiments. He pushed his own body to the limits by performing partial usage of the combination flows. His Uzumaki body was able to handle the stress a lot more. He was even able to maintain a full combination for a few seconds." Ryu finished.

"What happened to him?" Naruto asked.

"He eventually left Uzushio with his wife. But, one day, years later after he had had children, a group of bandits attacked him and he warded them off. He had challenged them and they didn't like it. The next day a small army of bandits came to his door and tried to kill his family. He summoned me himself, and we burned them alive. But these bandits had used some of their wealth to hire ronin and missing-nin. These bandits had their hands in almost everything in that region. The man was brilliant but even he couldn't stand alone and protect his family. He saw his son and daughter and wife dragged out of their home." Ryu said, becoming solemn. "We watched as his wife had her throat slit. He lost it and rushed into a combined sage mode. His arms became like those of bears, but with the claws of a dragon. His neck extended slightly as scales grew along his neck and on his face. He grew fur along ridges that grew at the back of his head. Large wings came from his back, as did a large tail with spikes and ridges along it. Fur grew in patches as his teeth extended and he became more feral in appearance. He let loose a roar that I swear shook the ground before rushing to his children and surrounding them with his wings before breathing a wave of fire that wiped out everything near him. The remaining bandits and such retreated. After that the group of bandits collapsed because he had killed most of their high ranked members, as well as most of their members in general."

"He had saved his children, but at the cost of his own life. His body was able to handle the stress for a time, but he pushed himself to the limit and beyond. It cost him more than it should have. He laid dying and his last words were for his children to live. They were in shock at what had happened, couldn't move. I was forced to take them to another location and leave them in the care of some other people. I don't know what happened to them though. I'm sorry to say that I couldn't find them after that. When I went back for them the place was destroyed and I couldn't find them. It fills me with sadness even now."

Naruto nodded. "How long ago was this?"

"The event with the two children being moved was about twenty years ago. Uzushio was destroyed eleven years by that point though. Why?"

"I was wondering something. How old were the two children?"

"The sister was nine, the brother eight. They should be twenty-nine and eight now. The brother would only be about twice your age at this point. It seems so long ago, yet your parents were still alive back then. It was only six years before you were born."

Naruto nodded. "Thank you for the story my friend. Do you have any of the Uzumaki's research?"

"Yes, I will get them for you soon enough. Though I assume that you will be unique in the fact that your regeneration abilities and Uzumaki blood will allow you to withstand it for a longer period of time."

"Thank you for your words. I will talk to you later then. Also, before you go. I wanted to know about the other five valid names still on the contract besides my own. I know that one is my grandfather Kamaji, but what about the others?"

"I knew you would." Ryu said. "Two of them are the two offspring. I have been unable to reverse summon the brother because while they have a connection to the contract, they have yet to try to summon a dragon, therefor they have yet to establish a complete connection to us. So for now it's not something I can do. But the sister, I did manage to eventually find. But they have told me not to reveal them to anyone else. The brother is still lost to me. The third is your grandfather. The fourth…. I have I theory, but I don't know yet because he is in the same boat as the first brother. The other one," he thought for a moment, "The fifth name….. Roku Uzumaki….. should not be possible. I have no clue why that name is still on the list. It should have become invalid long ago. I will look into it. Other than that, I will talk with you later." Ryu said before he disappeared.

"So, Fukasaku, what do you plan to do now?" Naruto asked.

"Naruto-boy, I intend to help you. Just like I told you I would before. Don't worry when you give the word Jiraiya will lose our help."

"Yes, now remember, even if he is using you to fight me you cannot leave him until I give the word. Promise me that. I want to see him crushed and defeated as his entire world drops out from under all at once. I ask that you not act until I give the word."

Fukasaku nodded before he disappeared as well.

Naruto stood up and looked out over what he could see of the island nation. "I wonder what's going to happen now. What will you other dragon summoners do? And you, Roku Uzumaki. Ryu seemed shocked that your name was still there. So why, who are you people?" he smirked. "It would seem that the jinchuriki aren't the only people I need to gather."

*break*

'_So staying dead didn't work. I wonder what degree I will need to influence events once again to keep this world from going into chaos. Though, I guess I have stopped doing what I promised my parents and myself. I have not kept peace. I have left this world to rot so long as it does not cause chaos. I should probably come back and truly intervene in the events of the world.'_ The white robed man thought to himself. He was sitting down against a wall with his black sword in his lap, and his long green hair over his shoulders so that it didn't touch the ground or wall.

He saw a small blaze open up in front of him as he stood up. "I wondered when you would call me." He said before the blaze opened to reveal an ornate, red door with nothing behind it. He opened it and walked through before the door disappeared. He looked around to find himself in a massive underground chamber with several doors of varying sizes and qualities.

"Why here of all places Ryu?"

"Because I wasn't the only one that wanted to talk to you Roku."

He looked up to see Ryu sitting in front of the Great Dragon Sage. The sage was immense in size and stature. It looked exceedingly old, and yet kept the air of authority that matched his immense size and even greater power. The dragon had the horns of a stag, sharp teeth, green skin with a light under belly, red eyes, a long serpentine body with his tail taking up three-fourths of his length, long flowing whiskers, a long snout, and flowing green hair on his cheeks. He seemed to coil around himself as he shifted to come down to eye level with Roku.

"It has been a long time." The fierce voice said. It was deep and menacing, though calm and soothing at the same time.

"Yes it has my old friend. So, I assume you want to know how I'm still alive."

"That is correct."

"I don't know why you are so shocked considering my lineage. I would have expected you to know better old man." Roku said, teasing the friend that was only older than him by a few dozen centuries. "I told you before when we last fought together Shenron, it will take more to kill me than even you would expect."

"Yes, yes you did. So tell me, why return after so long? I can see it. We only found you because you wanted to be found."

"Things are shifting. My old village is back on the rise with this Uzukage. I think it's about time I got back to my duties and the great sage's successor." He said as the color in his hair started to liquefy, and then flow from is hair onto the ground. He now looked younger with his dark red hair going down to his waist as it seemed more vibrant than before.

"Now then, what can you tell me about this new Uzumaki?"

*break*

Naruto was walking down the streets of Konoha with his black travelling cloak concealing his features. He was in the same clothing he had used before when combating Sasuke. Instead of rushing, he was walking towards the Hokage's office at a leisurely pace after having left a note for the Tsume and Hana to head to the Hokage's office. It was only a few more moments before he was at the tower and in front of the office door. The secretary tried to stop him before he simply walked in to see Tsume and Hana trying to figure out why Tsunade had summoned them.

"I didn't tell you to- who are you?" Tsunade said as he walked in.

Naruto noticed that Sasuke was standing in a corner of the room, Sakura was standing next to him. No doubt Sasuke was waiting for more news about him. Sakura was no doubt trying to win Sasuke over as per usual.

"Well, I think that you should know me quite well." Naruto said before the secretary came after him.

"I'm sorry Lady Hokage. I tried to stop him."

"It's fine. According to him I know him." Tsunade said, waving for the assistant to leave. The secretary closed the door on the way out.

Naruto pulled away his hood to show his face. Everyone was too shocked to move except Tsunade who was instantly over her desk to rush him. In less than a second Sakura sook her own shock, and was behind him to do the same thing. Tsunade was at him with her fist raised. The fist made contact with his face before phasing through it and impacting Sakura's face instead. Sakura was instantly flying through the door. The Hokage was then on the other side of Naruto with a stunned look on her face.

"What's wrong, _Lady Hokage_?" Naruto said, sarcasm in his voice as he said her title. "Did you think I would come here in person? Or did you expect my bunshin to be solid as usual? No, a non-solid one fits my purposes nicely."

"When did you gain the control to perform a basic bunshin?" Tsunade asked.

"Irrelevant. What is relevant is why I brought Hana and Tsume here."

"That was you?" Tsume asked, her hatred dripping from her voice. She knew that trying to kill him wouldn't work.

"Yes. Now, when I killed Kiba he did ask me to relay his last words."

Tsume tried to punch him. Her hand was in a wall the next second after phasing through him. She removed it easily enough.

Naruto sprouted a smile on his face. He was happy to embellish what came next. His main goal was to throw them off as much as possible. Blind them with their rage.

"After he begged for his life," Naruto said as the smile became diabolical, "after I burnt him alive, he told me to tell you that he was sorry he didn't stay alive like he promised you. He was pathetic as he begged for his life in his last moments. I was merciful and decapitated him, I gave him the death he begged for. As my sword come down he thanked me!" Naruto said before chuckling.

"SHUT UP!" Hana shouted.

Naruto stopped chuckling before his face became serious. "Tell me why I should listen to orders given to me by pathetic people like you and Kiba and Tsume. You are all so pathetic. And if you think you can command me, I will not hesitate to kill you."

"SHUT UP!"

What happened next was so shocking that no one could stop it until it was too late.

There was a distortion in the air as Naruto rushed forward with a tanto in his hand. He grabbed Hana by the neck before pulling her to her knees. He was instantly behind her before diving the blade into the base of her skull, only for it to come out of her left eye. She was dead before her body hit the ground. The silence passed for only a moment before Tsume screamed and collapsed to her knees. Her hand was stretched towards her daughter's lifeless form.

Her voice was hollow, broken, and showed how much she was trying not to cry. "How? How could you do something like this? How?" she said as her arm fell to her side.

"Are you asking me how I did it when I was a basic bunshin, or are you asking how I could have the heart to kill her like that right in front of you? I'll tell you both. First, did you not expect me to take precautions against anything that could happen? I have planned things out most of my life, this was easy. You were too blinded by your rage at me to ask how a basic bunshin opened the door. That should have given me away. I had a solid bunshin enter the room, but by the time you noticed it the solid and non-solid had already made the switch. Then it was only a matter of the solid one coming back in from its hiding place."

"As for how I could do that to her and you, I wanted to. She wouldn't stop trying to command me. I warned her. But then, you did betray me Tsume. Your clan was happy to watch me burn after I had kept the Kyuubi at bay all those years. I was only happy to stand here and watch as you die on the inside. No children. No heirs. All alone."

She was at him in a moment. She had him pinned to the wall by his neck.

"This won't kill you, but you will still get the memories of having your throat ripped out!" she said as she raised her hand to rip his neck open.

"And what of my parents?" Naruto said, causing her to falter.

"They died because of the sins of this village. They died because this village wiped out the Uzumaki clan. Imagine how much easier the Kyuubi would have been contained if a few extra Uzumaki had been alive, trying to contain him? I really don't think you understand. One day this village will burn for all of its sins." Naruto said before breaking Tsume's grip and charging at Sasuke with another blade.

He was caught be the wrist by Tsunade before having his arm broken and being thrown into the wall. Sasuke looked panicked at what just happened.

"You keep saying I'm your friend, but you keep trying to kill me." Sasuke said with a shaky voice.

"Once again you misunderstand my friend. I'm not trying to kill you." Naruto said with a smile on his face. "What would I do without you? Go back to tormenting Tsume over there? No. No, no. You, complete me. HAHAHAH!" Naruto stopped laughing and sighed.

"Tell me Naruto, am I really your friend? I'm starting to think you really are nothing but a monster."

"Don't talk like one of them, you're not! Even if you'd like to be. To them, you're just a freak, like me. They need you right now. But when they don't, they'll cast you out, like a leper. See, their morals, their code... it's a bad joke. Dropped at the first sign of trouble. They're only as good as the world allows them to be. I'll show you, when the chips are down, these... these civilized people? They'll eat each other. See, I'm not a monster, I'm just ahead of the curve." Naruto sighed. "Do not trust these people Sasuke. Not one bit. You will one day learn the truth I promised you."

At the end of his words Tsunade leaned down, gripped him by the neck and slamed him into the wall.

"Tell me where you are so I can come down there and kill you myself?!"

Naruto laughed with insanity leaking into the laughter. "You have nothing, nothing to threaten me with! Nothing to do with all your strength!" He laughed even more. "I wasn't trying to kill Sasuke, I wanted to see what you would do. And you didn't disappoint. But you know what, I really don't feel like having those memories of you killing me. So, for now I bid you farewell." Naruto said before he disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

Tsume punched the wall as Sasuke fell to his knees.

'_What's happening? How could things have gotten like this?'_ Sasuke thought to himself.

"AAAHHHH!" Tsunade screamed in frustration. "Someone get Sakura out of the hall to the hospital! Tell me if I broke anything and I'll fix it myself!"

'_I'm going to need to train her like Jiraiya is going to be training Sasuke.' _Tsunade thought to herself.

*break*

Naruto stood on the docks as another ship came in. The first ship had carried fifty of their new members, this one was here to give them the rest. Naruto stood there with Hinata and Shino at his sides, as well as Karin and Kamaji behind him. He had gotten word that some of these new members of the new Orb Union were going to have blood lines. Kekkei genkai. He wondered what these new people would bring to him. They were only slightly above his level and that excited him. They were new additions to his force, and they would be valued.

Before they got there he had received a scroll from Koyuki with some of their bios. Most of them were ninja. The first was Bi-Han. Bi-Han wore all black cloths. His pants, the light armor strapped to his leg below the knee, his shoes, his long sleeve shirt, the light armor starped to his forearms, his gloves, the armor he wore over his torso and just over his shoulders, the armored flap hanging down to just above his knees, the hood over his head, and the armored mask that covered all but his eyes which were completely white. The eyes looked as though a white haze drifted through them.

The man had an exceedingly powerful mother from the Nara clan. Grandmother had left Konoha before his mother was born and had stayed in Snow. He had eventually trained under her to perfect his shadow abilities to the point that he could control them so well that it was more apt to say that he controlled the darkness itself. His abilities had eventually surpassed his mother's, and then he had left home with his brother to live in Uzu.

Bi-Han's brother was Kuai Liang. While Bi-Han had trained under their mother, Kuai Liang had trained under their father to hone his abilities with ice. His father had been from the Yuki clan and had escaped Mizu during the purge. Kuai Liang dressed similarly to his older brother, however, there were differences. First was that his cloths were blue instead of black apart from his pants and under shirt. Another difference was that the only thing covering his arms was the stylized metal armor that was strapped to his upper arms, the black, fingerless gloves, as well as the stylized metal armor that went over his gloves and was strapped to his forearms by blue cloth strips. There was also stylized armor over his lower legs, as well as on the large belt around his waist.

Another fact that Naruto found interesting was that they often went by the code names Noob Saibot and Sub Zero, respectively.

The next one on the list was Hanzo Hasashi. Not to be mistaken for Hanzo the Salamander, he often went by the name Scorpion. Though his nickname came from the armor he was often wearing. The armor plating over his torso was a deep yellow, with multiple serrated plates that ended in a pointed flap hanging down to his knees. The armor on his torso also had two jagged pieces going along his ribs on both sides. There were also two large points going up his shoulders. In the middle of his chest there was a large, black crystal framed by his dark yellow armor.

Both of his arms were bare apart from the black, leather gauntlets with dark yellow metal rings segmenting them and large blades on the sides. His left arm had a dark yellow band with a diamond pattern wrapped around the upper part of it. His shoulders where covered in black cloth that slightly jutted out. Over that there were two jagged spikes coming over his shoulders next to his neck that were made of the dark yellow metal. His pants were black and appeared to be made of strips of cloth wrapped around him. His boots were made of the dark yellow metal in serrated segments. He had a black hood over his head with a dark yellow, metal mask covering most of his face.

He also had four swords. The first two were on his back with the handles coming up over his shoulders. The blades themselves were jagged. The other two blades were at his hips. The blades on his hips were both katanas with ywllow, metal stingers on the pommels, yellow handles with black strips wrapped around them. The guard of the sword was in the shape of a stylized figure eight. The guard was black with a yellow frame, stylized yellow lines around the middle, and blades around it. The scabbard of the blades was black with dark yellow metal on the end of it.

Scorpion had come to Uzu with Sub Zero and his brother because he had originally thought that the brothers had slaughtered his clan. However, the brothers had revealed that someone else had been the cause of the massacre. The three had worked together to find and kill the person. Once this was done, Scorpion had offered his thanks and services to the brothers because they had helped him avenge his clan.

When the fifty new members of the Orb Union were off the ship they stood in front of Naruto as he introduced them to their new home.

"Welcome. I hope you all enjoy your time here in your new village. My friend Karin here," Naruto said as he gestured behind him to Karin standing behind him, "will show you to your new homes once we get back to the village." Naruto said before he turned around and started to walk back towards the village with his new villagers in tow.

'_Now, with this place growing it will only be a matter of time now.' _Naruto thought to himself as a smile graced his face. He then felt the bunshin sent to Konoha disperse before his smile grew.

'_You know, that was really screwed up of you. Perhaps your becoming more like me. I might not have to make a move when you break.' _He heard in his mind.

'_Well, until such a time as you have something useful to say, or you make your move, I would like it if you stayed quiet.' _Naruto thought towards the voice.

'_Whatever.'_ It responded.

*break*

Kakuzu and Sasori were walking on a road surrounded by trees, heading towards the mission they had been hired for to build funds for the Akatsuki. Kakazu was trying to restrain himself from killing Sasori. Sasori was trying to convert Kakazu to his religion of puppets. He stopped for a moment to start bashing his head into a tree.

'_I…traded an immortal idiot who kept trying to convert me…for a non-immortal trying to convert me. Only this time, I was ordered not to try and kill this one.'_

*break*

It had been three and a half years since Naruto had gone to Konoha to incite what rage he could. Over the years he had started working on the sage mode for the toads of Moyoboku and mastered it in little over four months. Training under the dragon sages had been a different matter though. It had taken him a month just to start channeling the chakra in the manner of the dragons of the Elemental Mountains.

There, the elements could shift in such ways that it took seeing them for Naruto to start believing he might have lost his mind. Giant rocks floated in the air, water could be breathed, the ice could burn you alive, and the fire freeze you, and the land itself swallow you alive. It was magnificent.

However, his training was still far from perfect as Naruto had yet to master the full sage mode. When he tried entering it he became more reptilian than human, and some of his animalistic side took over, becoming harder to control himself.

Over time he had grown taller, his voice had changed, his hair gad grown out to though the bottoms of his shoulder blades. This gave him the appearance of having a spike mane. He had, of course, cut away the red when his hair was grown enough. Now he wore his Uzu Hitai-ate on his forehead, though he usually kept it hidden when he left the village.

He had not been the only one to shed disguises as Hinata had cut away the dyed hair and then let it grow down to her waist. She had also removed her contacts. Shino had not changed much apart from getting taller.

Another thing that had progressed was his training with Kurama, his team, and his fellow jinchuriki. He had gotten to the point that he could call forth the three tailed state of Kurama's power while still maintaining perfect control. So for, however, he had hit a road block at controlling the four tailed state. Fuu and Yagura were much further along as over time they had managed to convince their own tenants to open up to them. While they had not gotten along with them all the time, the bijuu were sometimes cooperative. They didn't give them full control, nor had their jinchuriki removed the locks that restrained their tenants, but the bijuu in Fuu and Yagura would often allow them to use the full extent of their version two modes. Naruto currently had only the capabilities of his most powerful version one state.

With his friends, Naruto had made great progress to ensure that they were exceedingly powerful on the battle field. The strategy Naruto came up with was meant for restraining enemies easily. Its only flaw was that it required his enemies to underestimate him, and once that was gone it was worthless without the element of surprise.

However, that was unimportant at the moment as Naruto's sage training was not the only thing he had learned over the years. Over time he had focused plenty of time on the contents of the forbidden scroll. He had prepared himself for what was to come and was ready to test the extent of his new power.

Naruto was standing in a shadowed room as he flew through the necessary hand signs. When he finished he slammed them to the ground with a smile on his face. The smile only grew with the sound of the ground cracking. He stood up with his own forbidden scroll on his back. The scroll was large with two golden dragon heads on the ends. His enhanced vision saw everything clearly as it emerged and the figure stood there.

"Naruto!? How-?"

"-Are you here? Well, if you look around I think you will find the answer staring you in the face."

"The forbidden scroll? No, that's different."

"Yes it is. On the day of the forbidden scroll incident you missed me strip the scroll of everything I could. It now resides in the forbidden scroll of Uzushiogakure."

"I see. So that's how- Did you say Uzushiogakure?"

"Yes I did. And now, because of your mistakes, I will force you to watch as my new home burns yours to the ground. You see, they betrayed me."

"What do you mean? Uzu was destroyed. And what do you mean they betrayed you? I thought that I-"

"You did try to fix it, but I never told them. I wanted to see what they would do, and they didn't disappoint. Now, as for Uzu. It was destroyed, now I shall destroy your home as you did mine. It is now rebuilt and ready to act."

"I see. So is that why-"

"No. Not yet. First you must witness as I tear down their world in the most perfect way possible. I will give them hope. You will watch as I dangle hope before them before I snatch it away and step on their necks. I will torture them, but not of their bodies, of their souls. I will make stopping me seem so easy... So simple... And like shipwrecked men turning to sea water from uncontrollable thirst, many will die trying. I learned back in Konoha that there can be no true despair without hope. The hope I had that I could become Hokage and change their view of me. So, as I terrorize Konoha, I will feed its people hope to poison their souls, like they did to me. I will let them believe they can survive so that you can watch them clamoring over each other to 'stay in the sun.' You can watch me torture an entire hidden village, and when you have truly understood the depth of your failure, I will fulfill my word, I will destroy Konoha and then, when it is done and Konoha is ashes, then you have my permission to die. That is why. You will watch helplessly as I step on- NO, BURN EVERYTHING YOU HAVE EVER STOOD FOR RIGHT IN FRONT OF YOUR EYES!"

Naruto stopped to compose himself.

"I see. Would it help if I said I was sorry? Is it too late to say that? Is it meaningless to apologize?"

"Never." Naruto said before pausing. "However, it won't stop me. Everything you held dear will burn."

There was a knock at the door. Naruto went to it and opened it. It was Shino.

"Naruto, Ryu is waiting for you in your office. He says you can talk with Shenron now." Shino said.

"Good."

Then Shino noticed the figure in the shadows. "So you did it. Was it difficult getting in and retrieving-"

"No it wasn't Shino. If you thought it was difficult then you obviously haven't been paying attention." Naruto said with a small smile.

"You're right, I should have expected it to be simple with how pathetic Konoha has become over the years." Shino said, giving a barely seen smile.

"That you should my friend. Now let's go. We don't want to keep him waiting. As powerful as we are Shenron could still wipe our home of the map if he wanted to." Naruto said before he turned and said good-bye to the figure in the shadows and then heading to his office.

"So Shino, how are things going with your training, as well as that other thing?"

"They're going quite well. As for the other thing though, she thought I was joking."

"Well, what did you expect? She is eleven years older than you." Naruto said.

"Yes, I know." Shino said.

Naruto stopped him with a hand of his friend's shoulder. "Give it time Shino. Eventually, who knows? You might find someone better, or she might change her mind."

They continued to walk. "Yes, you're right. However, Anko and I have similar interests."

"Why do you think I put you two in charge of our interrogation division when some of the missions we get from Suna and Kiri call for it? I know what 'interests' you two share." Naruto said. He swore he heard a small chuckle.

"Yes, but you, her, and I share a bond. I would like to think that she sees me the same way I see her."

"Well, for now you can't do much. Just wait for the time being."

Shino nodded as they came to a stop in front of Naruto's office. "I will see you later then." Shino said before walking back down the hall. Naruto opened the dore to see Ryu sitting on his desk.

"Greetings Ryu, how are things?"

"They are well, and you?"

"They're fine." Naruto said. "So what of this meeting with Shenron?"

"Come with me." Ryu said before they both disappeared.

In seconds, Ryu and was standing in front of Shenron. It was finally time to get answers from them. Naruto was standing in front of the Great Dragon Sage, staring at Shenron with a look that told the dragon sage why he was there.

"So, young Naruto. You will no longer wait for us to tell you of the other Uzumaki?"

"No. After all these years you have still yet to tell me. I want to know about my remaining family. I will no longer wait."

"Fine. Two of them you already know I cannot bring here, one has had us promise never to reveal her, and one we cannot bring here because he already is."

"What do you mean?" Naruto asked.

"He means," came a new voice as a man in white robes and with red hair walked out from behind a pillar, "that you can't take someone where they already are." He walked up to Naruto before stopping in front of him.

"Greetings Naruto. I am Roku Uzumaki." His eyes started to change. "I am your ancestor." Black rings shot out of the man's pupil with a sea of purple. "I am the immortal, first Uzumaki." He said, standing there with his rinnegan shining in all its glory. "I am the Nidaime Rikudō Sennin. I am the Second Sage of the Six Paths."

*break*

Chronicle was once again dreaming as he saw what he considered the least clear thing he had ever seen. He could see as the blurs rushed around what looked like a home. It seemed as though he was looking out of the eyes of a small boy as everything moved to quickly to get details. He saw a feminine figure rushing to him.

"We need to get to the bedroom. Hurry. Your father will protect us." the woman said in a voice that echoed and seemed to shift like his vision. He could see his vision shift to what looked like a window as fire flared to life outside. He heard wood break as a door was busted and men came in. he saw them grab the women and then him before dragging them out. He could see very little apart from the fire that blazed to life nearby. He could hear screams that were silenced before everything seemed to stop. He turned to see blood fly across his vision before a monstrous roar shook the ground at his feet. Everything seemed to detach as light showed in his vision.

Chronicle shot upward. He was on his feet as he grabbed the bed he had been sleeping in and flung it across the room causing it to break apart and put small holes in the wall. "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Chronicle yelled to the vision he had just seen.

He was hunched over, his breathing labored. He didn't know why but he could feel tears falling down his face.

"I….couldn't save….them." he looked at his hands. "What was that? Was that…what I've been waiting for? Is it starting to come together? What in the world is happening to me?" Chronicle said to himself. He stood up straight as he calmed his breathing. He quickly got dressed and left the room. He needed to think.

'_Perhaps that's why the memories are so hard to see. I repressed them. Obviously I'm hiding something from myself. Now all I need to do is figure out what that is.' _Chronicle thought to himself as he walked towards the mess hall for some food.

*break*

The woman stood on the crest of the hill as she stared at the small medallion in her hand. The woman was beautiful. She had dark blue eyes, a slim figure, and short, curly, dark red hair that barely touched her shoulders. Her clothing was a black shirt and pants with small padding along her arms, legs, and torso. Her feet were covered in simple black, leather shoes. At her hip was a small, plain dagger.

The medallion in her hand was made of metal and had a simple carving. She saw a small vision of her father giving it to her.

'_Never forget that no matter where you are, you are an Uzumaki.'_ She heard his voice tell her.

The carving on the medallion had three spirals going in a counter clockwise direction with their end meeting an outside point of the next one, thus forming a triskele, or a triple spiral.

Her voice was soft and elegant as she spoke. "I think I might be getting close brother. Just give me more time. You and I will finally be together again. Then, we might just find the ones who did this to us. Then this world will know the wrath of the dragon summoners of the Uzumaki clan. Then, perhaps we should join this Naruto that Shenron told me about."

She then opened the medallion to reveal a picture. There was a man with long, straight red hair, a woman with straight, dark brown hair that touched her shoulders, a small girl in the arms of the father with dark red curly hair, and a small, two year old boy with barely any of his almost black hair growing in. the boy was held in the mother's arms.

"Yes brother. I will find you." The woman said to herself.

**[A/N] Well, how about that? Believe me when I say that this was not the plan when I started writing the chapter. However, I saw that some of these people could no longer keep the strength they had without reason. It was time for the Uzumaki to make a comeback. I also added the time skip now because I knew that what comes next needed a more powerful and older Naruto. I hope this didn't disappoint you. Also, just in case, Sub Zero and Noob Saibot have the appearance of their MK 9 iterations. I pictured Scorpion as his Injustice: Gods Among Us version with the blades of both Injustice and his concept art ones from MK Deception. With the Injustice versions over both shoulders as they are in said game and his Deception versions at his hips. This is a precaution in case my descriptions sucked. As always, tell me how you feel about the fic through your reviews. Though I would like it if I could get more of what I should do less and what I should do more. I am seeking to perfect this with a goal in mind. I will probably tell you that goal at the end of one of the upcoming chapters. Also, tell me if you felt that part of this was done poorly, or just needed something else. I will be glad to make adjustments to this chapter as it is where everything important starts.**


	13. Uzu and Akatsuki

**[A/N] Chapter thirteen. Let's hope that superstitions about thirteen don't exist or I am screwed. A few people weren't happy about how weak Naruto seems compared to the others. I will fix that and more in this chapter. Naruto has gotten stronger over the years, and in the last chapter he had yet to show the extent of his power. This chapter will show more of what he can do. I'm sorry about the wait, so on with the show.**

**Four years ago.**

"What do you mean Hidan is dead? That's not possible." The voice rasping voice said in the darkness.

"Apearently, it is." said the solid, and authoritative voice in response.

"As I heard, he had it coming. He attacked someone recklessly without knowing their abilities." said a female voice.

"As much as you care for not underestimating an opponent, even you have to admit none of us could have predicted someone being able to kill one us, let alone Hidan. He may have been an idiot of the highest level, but he was still one of the strongest of us." a deep, monotone voice said in response.

"This is so stupid." came a dull, female voice that sounded bored.

"Can we get to the point of this meeting?" asked the voice of a young man that sounded annoyed by the entire meeting.

"Fine." said the authoritative voice. "The point of the meeting is that we are now down a member, and face the threat of someone who can kill us. Even if we cast Hidan out because he had no control, he was still a part of us and will be avenged. I know some of you never liked Hidan. For you I say you will cooperate, if for no other reason, to kill whoever it is that poses a threat to us."

"Oh come on," said a new, insane sounding voice, "can't we just get back to killing people? I wanted to test some more of my beautiful art."

"No, this is a threat that can't be ignored."

*break

"I-Immortal first Uzumaki?" Naruto asked with awe in his voice.

"Well, I guess that was over exaggerated in a moment of hubris. I can die. I can be killed. I just don't age. It would seem that the longevity I passed down, originated from longevity that won't end any time soon. I can be killed, it's just difficult." Roku said in response.

"Yes," Shenron said, "even I didn't know about that part."

"So why didn't you tell me sooner?" Naruto asked.

"He was actually here three years ago. He wanted to see how patient you would be if we told you to wait for information. You waited over three years. He was impressed." Shenron said.

"Alright," Naruto said before turning back to Roku, "but why not show up before? Why wait until now?"

Roku closed his eyes and released a heavy sigh. "I was once a man who intervened in wars, so as to spread peace. Though, I didn't stay, and most records of my existence were destroyed do to the chaos at that time. Eventually I was able to help calm the world. Eventually I found a wife, and passed down my Uzumaki blood. I created a home for my children in Uzu no Kuni. But as years past, wars began anew, people aged and faded away, even I am a relic of the past. The only difference is that I have had to watch as all I cared for withered, aged, and eventually died. Eventually I lost hope. I went into seclusion, wanting to live alone so that I couldn't watch the people I loved die anymore. Over time I did things. I helped bring prosperity to small villages, and yet they still slowly passed me by. But you, you give me a small spark of hope."

"Hope for what." Naruto asked.

"Hope for a way to once again do the job I believe is my responsibility. You have given me hope in some of your actions. People hated you, yet you persevered. When they betrayed you, you didn't surrender. You then managed to bring back our home, even though it was so damaged and behind a barrier. You have also brought together three of the jinchuriki, including yourself, as well as Suna and Kiri. Things I didn't think possible. You have used yourself as a way to channel this alliance between them." Roku said with a small smile. "Who knows, I might just-" He said before going silent.

"What is it?" Naruto asked.

"It's nothing. For now." Roku said. There was a pause. "So perhaps you could show me to the rebuilt Uzushio? I have been dying, so to speak, to see it."

Naruto smiled. "Of course."

Naruto put his hand on Roku's shoulder before they disappeared.

"So what do you think is going to happen now Shenron?" Ryu asked.

"I know you saw it. The entire time they talked, Naruto was calculating what Roku was going to do. Naruto has gotten stronger in the past three years. As powerful as Roku is, not even he can stop Naruto anymore. Though, that's only because of his unwillingness to kill him. Naruto is strong enough now that that would be the only way for Roku to stop him."

Ryu nodded. "So now it all comes down to how quickly Roku will finally give in."

"Indeed. He thinks we don't know, but we can see it. Even if we haven't seen him in all of these years, we know."

"So what should we do then? Should we let them continue down this path?"

"We deemed them both worthy. What they choose to do now is up to them. I refuse to be the cause of a fight between the two. What they choose is up to them. We won't intervene if that's what Roku chooses."

Ryu nodded in response. "Then it's settled. Now the outcome of the world rests in Naruto's hands. Let's just hope we don't regret the decision later."

"On that point, you and I will never disagree."

*break*

Roku was looking out over the edge on top of the Uzukage tower with Naruto on his left, as well as Hinata, Shino, Fuu, Yagura, and Anko behind them. They had become Naruto's own personal force over the years.

"Naruto, or perhaps I should say Lord Uzukage, even I never saw how much Uzugakure had grown over the years. This is magnificent. The home I built for my family is now the home of my family and so much more. It was like this before it was destroyed, but I never saw it. Now I look at it, and I can hardly stop myself from crying. It is truly beautiful." Roku said. He looked down with his deactivated eyes to see women walking with small children or carrying infants, older children running around and playing games, other people walking around to finish whatever business they had, and even some shinobi on the roof tops. He enjoyed looking at the sight with his normal eyes so that he could see the details in their imperfection. With his rinnegan, he could see most of the details in what he perceived as overly perfect. Every detail, flaw, and movement become clear to him, and he preferred to look at the world through his normal eyes.

Naruto spoke up once he saw that Roku had composed himself. "With the ability to open up small holes in the barrier it became rather simple to set up an economy between Mizu and Uzu. Setting up trade routes with Kaze was much more difficult, but not impossible. Come on, let's go to my office and we can talk about everything that we've been doing here."

"Of course." Roku said. His voice was calm, but Naruto could tell that he was holding back his emotions. He was still trying not to cry.

They turned and the small group reentered the building before descending to the level with Naruto's office. When they got there Naruto opened the door and lead the rest of them in.

The office, which had once bore resemblance to the Hokage's, was now organized differently than before. The room seemed to have been expanded to make more room for the contents. In front of the windows sat a large, brown desk with two small stacks of files and two baskets, with their own files in them, next to the small stacks. On each side of the desk were two metal filing cabinets with more baskets of files on top of them. There were two more desks in the exact same fashion on the right and left sides of the office. The desk in the middle had the pedestal with the barrier seal on the left side while the desk to the left also had a door behind it leading to another room. In the corners were stacks of files in red, black, gold, and blue folders, each color taking up a corner of the room. In the middle of the room was a large, square, black table. On the table were several sealing arrays over a world map that took up the middle of the table. The sealing arrays then projected themselves upward to create a three-dimensional frame of the landscape. The projection was zoomed in so that details could be seen on the mountains. On the rest of the table were more files and notes.

The most noticeable thing in the room was the army of Naruto Bunshin working at each area of the room. One sat at each desk doing different tasks. The one working on the desk to the right was working on reports and paperwork for the village. The one on the left was working on writing up reports of his own, reading reports on the soon-to-be-gennin, and working on files and missions he had gotten from his associate villages. The was also a few bunshin that went to the desk to talk with the one at the desk before taking seemingly random files and papers off the desk and through the door behind the desk. The desk by the windows had more visitors than the others. The desk had three bunshin working at it with other bunshin coming and going to collect different colored files and putting them in their respective corners.

The bunshin seemed to all be moving chaotically through the room and across their tasks, yet at the same time, looking closely would reveal that there was a method to the madness. They all had their tasks and their own paths. Each and every one of the bunshin worked around the table in the middle as clones worked on papers and notes as they all waved the hands across the projected map to move it around in different directions every time one of them bent down to make a note. Every so often some of them would pass on their notes to others, pass them to others who would take them to the center desk, or take them to the master clone at the middle desk themselves. The difference between the three events was that the times one took a file or note to the master clone, it took a few moments of them talking to establish the importance of whatever the bunshin were discussing. Eventually the files would make their way to their individual corners.

When Naruto himself walked in the not only stopped what they were doing, they quickly put their papers down in an organized order. Once that was done they all got into rows, with the ones from the other room coming in with a large scroll carried by the last one out, and stood at attention.

"Is that room ready?" Naruto asked. The clone with the scroll tossed it to him while nodding.

"Good. All but the master cone, dispel." They instantly clasped their left arms behind their backs and their right fists over their hearts before dispelling. He tossed the scroll and one other over to the master clone along with another one.

"Go down to the other room and set up there. Create more clones once you're down there and continue working." Naruto said. The master bunshin nodded before taking the second scroll and activating it. Lines flashed across the floor before chains came up out of the lines to wrap around the table and desks. Instantly they were gone as the seal retracted into the scroll. The clone stood up before disappearing in his Uzu shunshin.

Naruto removed another scroll from his robes and activated it. The entire floor became an empty, black abyss as a large, round table and several chairs emerged. The darkness then disappeared in a swirl to show the floor once again.

"Alright, let's sit down." Naruto said as he took a seat.

When everyone had taken a chair, Roku decided to voice his own question. "I saw shinobi on the rooftops when we ourselves were on the roof. Many of them looked like children. Have you been training your own gennin?"

"Yes, and I take it very seriously. As a matter of fact, I intend on attending our fist gennin exam in a few days." Naruto said.

"So how have you been training them? It must be tough if there's already a gennin graduating class in under four years."

"In a way, it is." Shino said. "We have them all divided up in their first year and focus on specifics each of the three years. Next year another generation should be ready, though it will be smaller than this year's"

"How do you divide them, and what do you focus on?" Roku asked.

Naruto took over. "The plan for dividing them for their first year was actually Hinata's Idea. She proposed that in the first year they were divided up based on their chakra levels. The first year of their training focuses on chakra control and increasing reserves. The ones with larger reserves are focused more on control than increasing reserves, while the ones with smaller reserves focus more on building reserves than control. The goal was that by the end of the first year they could be put into the same classes on equal ground."

"And how did you determine their reserve level?" Roku asked with a confused look.

"The three basic jutsu. The replacement, bunshin, and henge." Naruto said. "I personally use a technique I developed to let other people use my chakra to use the kage bunshin jutsu. With that I'm able to have them learn the three basics in under a week. Based on their control and abilities with them, we can determine where they get sorted. During their time in the first year, we then have them working on chakra building and control exercises for the rest of that year. We also work on other basic jutsu and chakra nature, as well as the fact that by the end of the first year they should be able to create two or three kage bunshin."

"That, is ingenious, but you teach them the kage bunshin?" Roku asked.

"Yes. The goal is to not only expedite their advancements, but also to make them better than the gennin from most other villages."

"And what of the other years?"

"During the second year we focus on their physical training." Hinata said. "We focus on teaching them maneuvers to use in combat, as well as taijutsu. Not only that, but we also work on weapons training."

"Then, the third year is focused on team training, more advanced jutsu, higher level weaponry skills, advancements in their chakra nature, how to better use jutsu outside of their nature, as well as how to handle enemies with kekkei genkai." Yagura said.

"And the kage bunshin allows them advance through those things faster." Roku said, as if he was contemplating the information.

Naruto nodded.

"Tell me, is there some kind of doctrine you teach them?" Roku asked.

"What do you mean?" Naruto responded.

"Like Konoha's will of fire, or the old Kiri's bid for glory and power in the name of the bloody mist."

"Well, we have a few of them, if you can really call them doctrines. We don't really preach them all the time. However, I have to say that our most important one is definitely made known. Never compromise. Not even in the face of Armageddon."

"I see." He said, pausing to think for a moment. "And what about economy? If you're trying to move goods across the island, it can be difficult to get the means to transport the things you need. And coordination for that would require communications." Roku said.

"Well, that's mostly due to the Land of Snow. They have developed airships that have been very useful." Naruto said. "The airships are actually in several classes. Warships, transports, cargo ships, carriers, cruisers, dreadnoughts, and balloons name a few of them. The balloons are just large sacks of thick cloth with large containers hanging from the bottom, and powered by a furnace that supplies hot air. The balloons are mostly used for surveillance. The cargo ships are what matter though. They are one of the things we use to transport goods from Uzushiogakure to the shore and vice versa. And then for short journeys we just have transports. I really don't want to go into detail about all the other classes, though there are some other things that Snow developed for us."

"The first are some advancements towards our fleets of actual ships. We don't need many seeing as how mast other countries don't have more than supply ships and we have Kiri on our side now. However, we have some in particular that make things very useful." Shino said

"If you don't need ships because the rest of the world doesn't have them, then why make airships?" Roku asked.

"It's not like we have billions of them awaiting orders." Naruto said. "It took a long time to make the structures themselves. Though the same can be for one of our greatest ships. I will show it to you later. It took time to build these things, especially some of the large metal structures that make up a few of our airship classes. Anyways, we have one other development. It's called a locomotive. Tracks are set down on the ground for steam powered carts linked together in long supply trains to travel across. Generally they're used for larger, and less fragile, materials, as well as freight, and ore. As for communications, we have radio towers and transceivers all over the island. It helps us communicate with the barrier teams. And communicating with them boosts our security."

"I see. How long did it take you to do all of this?"

"To be honest, it was only finished recently. Our fleets of airships, the communications array, the tracks for the locomotives, and the shinobi training for our first gennin was all only completed a short time ago. The same can be said for the complete recovery of our allies, Suna and Kiri. They have been recovering. We have been communicating with them, and sometimes I go meet their kage myself. Especially Suna's. Now, why don't we go see those special feats of engineering I was talking about?"

*break*

After an hour Naruto and the rest were standing on top of a fortress on the edge of Hi no Kuni. They looked over the water at the amazing ship they saw. The Fugaku. The ship itself looked like it might as well be its own capital. If such a structure were to be on land, it would take armies to effectively surround it. It was actually made of up of three massive ships, held together by the very fortress they supported. There were buildings that were meant for housing, large platforms for training, rest, or to be look out, a large castle-like building in the center, as well as massive areas covered in trees and water. The areas like that were meant for the crew to have a sense of land, or just peace, when it was needed. The ship was propelled by vast sails that were mounted on multiple locations on the fortress. On the sides were colossal water wheels that would help move the ship faster, or move period in the case of a day with wind that was to light. While not visible there were also fin-like structures along the bottoms of the ship.

The most notable feature of the ship was its main weapon. All along the ship there were holes for canons and such, but none compared to the primary weapon of the Fugaku. The eleven-foot cannon. The cannon was much longer than eleven feet as the number referred to the width of the opening. The black cannon had two distinguished features apart from the size. The first was the giant, metal ogre face under the base, and the large golden plating around the opening.

"That is the greatest thing I have ever seen." Roku said.

"You think that's great? You should see what else it can do. You see, the hard part about the structure was those wheels on the sides are able to lower themselves. In essence, the mammoth sized furnaces we have on that thing fuel the wheels. That's why those wheels had to be so massive and intricate. With the weight of the fortress on anything less, the ship would fall apart under its own weight. Though, using seals to strengthen the integrity has to help."

"Are you trying to tell me that the Fugaku is able to travel on land as well?"

"With terrain wide and flat enough, yes. I have another mobile fortress, but we can take a look at that later."

"So then, what about all of your other plans?" Roku asked.

"Well, for now I have a short list that covers a good bit. Take care of the Akatsuki is first. I can't have such a powerful group just running around. Though, the plan is to try and recruit the organization over to my side. Though I know that some of them won't be convinced, I can try. Next on the list is that snake Orochimaru. Some of the ex-Oto-nin have come to talk to me. They like what I've done for them, but a lot of them still have people they care about with Orochimaru. Most of Oto is just bases around the nations, but the man does have a small village slash headquarters hidden in the land of sound, north of Hi no Kuni and west of the Land of Hot Water. Once that snake is gone I intend on putting that village to good use, as well as using the several bases to help keep footholds across the nations when they're needed."

"And what about any other plans?"

Naruto sighed. "Could you leave us for the time being?" he said to the others. In moments, Naruto and Roku were alone.

"The dragons have no doubt told you about me, my past and my plans. Why do I need to tell you what you already know?"

"They told me what they could."

"Could?" Naruto asked.

Roku gave a small smile. "They told me what you told them, and what little they could see."

"What do you mean?"

"They have always had a knack to see people's intensions and thoughts. As much as I try to hide it, I know they can see right through me. It's all I can do to hide the fact that I know. Though, it's not too hard to see through me. I've always worn my mind and heart on my sleeves. But you, they can't get much out of you. My guess, you have had too much practice hiding your true face for someone your age. Not only that, but I can see something that they can't."

"And what would that be?"

"Something dark. But it isn't you. Even worse, it's certainly not Kyuubi."

"He prefers Kurama." Naruto said.

"You're changing the topic." Roku said.

"No, simply stating a fact. As for that dark thing you see, me and him have an understanding. So to speak."

"What do you mean?" Roku asked, deciding to ignore the 'him' part for now.

"I'm not at liberty to say. All you need to understand is that until such a time as I am broken, he is nothing more than a voice that sometimes nags me. And I have no intension of being broken."

"Noted." He sighed. "Naruto, what you need to understand is that everyone has a bit of darkness, it's a part of us. But that isn't why I wanted to talk to you so much." Roku said before he started pacing slowly. Eventually he came to stand at the edge of the roof. "Naruto you have given me hope, as I already told you. That is why, for the time being, I will stand next to you for your goals. But understand something," He said before turning to face Naruto, "I am so tired. Here soon, I will give you the last gift I can. My legacy, so to speak. I am so tired of this world. Now, those other plans?"

*break*

Gaara was standing on the roof when he felt the presence appear behind him.

"It's been a while." Gaara said.

"Yes it has. I don't live close enough to visit as often as I would like to." Naruto said.

"I completely understand. Is it time?" Gaara asked.

"Yes. Get everyone ready to move, and cut off all ties to Konoha."

"Communication, aid, and all other ties." Gaara said as a smile grew on his face. "Have we started the fire?"

Naruto smirked. "Yes, and the fire rises."

"So are you going after the Akatsuki soon?"

"Yes. And after I'm done with them, Orochimaru is next up to the chopping block."

"Then Konoha?"

"Then Konoha."

*break*

Chronicle woke after the memory. It was frightening him how quickly they were starting to come back.

He had the same dream as before, the one where men had come into their home and dragged them out. This time though, it was clearer.

His mother, who had dark hair like his and dark blue eyes, was frantically trying to get him and his sister, which he had failed to see last time, to follow her to the rooms. His mother had dark brown, curly hair like his and dark green eyes.

He was unable to see many of the details about his sister apart from her blue eyes. Then they were pulled outside.

As he looked he could see hundreds of people brandishing weapons, he saw that in the hoard of people there was someone shooting fire at the crowd. Then time slowed down as it had before. He could hear the scream and turned to see his mother having her throat cut open. That was when he heard the same roar as before and woke up.

"I remember that bandits had killed them, and I was eventually able to track down those who did it. But, ironically enough, I only just remembered what my mother looked like." He chuckled slightly. "I went through all of the trouble of tracking them down and wiping them out, only now to regret not waiting so that I could have her face in my mind when I did it. My past is forgotten for whatever reason, and my name was forgotten due to the time I went without using it. But, it is starting to come back."

He had always remembered that his parents were killed, the face of the person who had been in charge, and where he had lived once before, but when he had gone there looking for answers there was nothing more than the burnt skeleton of a home. He had then gone through the agonizing process of finding people who might have seen what happened. He then used every bit of information he could to track down the people responsible. That was after he had seen his mentor for the last time.

She had died a year after their joint operation. One year after he became Chronicle. After that he had buried her as best he could and left. Though he didn't leave until after he had gone through her notes and such. He had eventually found a journal with her real name in it. It was probably one of his most prized possessions.

He heard a knock at the door. When he opened it he saw the leader of his organization's current host country.

"Naruto, how can I help you?"

For the past year and a half he and his organization had taken residents in Uzu. They didn't have a home nation, and Naruto had offered them a place to stay in the hidden village.

"May I come in, I have some things I want to talk to you about."

"Sure." Chronicle said as he moved out of the way to let Naruto walk in. they both took a seat in the two small chairs Chronicle had.

"The first thing I wanted to ask you about was using your spy networks for an operation I'm working on."

"Of course. I told you that so long as you have my support you have my resources as well. So what's the other thing?"

"It might be nothing, but could you tell me how old you are?"

Chronicle sighed. "I told you about how my memory is. I don't know much from before I actually became Chronicle. But, if I had to speculate, I would say somewhere just over thirty. Why?"

"For now, it's nothing. Forget I asked." Naruto said.

*break*

Naruto stood in the middle of the clearing, he felt ridiculous. He was in a larger version of his original, orange track suit.

"Anko, if this doesn't help, I swear that you're going be put on patrol of the barrier for a month." He said.

"Oh come on, you said we need them to underestimate you. What better way than by dressing in that ridiculous outfit?" Anko's voice said in his ear. She was trying not to laugh. Naruto could hear it.

He had spent the last several hours with Chronicle's spy networks, and his own, on high alert as he did everything in his power to attract the Akatsuki. He had managed to gain the information that Itachi and Kisame had been sent out to try and capture him. Some of their other members were also being sent to meet up with them on their way towards him, however, he decided to intercept the pair he was after at the moment.

"Anko, if the plan fails and I dressed up like this for nothing-"

"I get patrol duty, I know." She sounded like a child reacting to being nagged.

Before he could respond he heard what he was waiting for. He heard a branch break under someone's foot. Is face slipped into a large smile as he put his hands behind his head and leaned his weight to the side slightly.

In moments he saw what he was waiting for as Itachi and Kisame walked into the clearing. They stopped instantly.

"Hey there Itachi! Long time, no see. How have things been?"

"Naruto, it's time you came with us." Itachi said in an emotionless voice. _'Forgive me Naruto. I despise Konoha because of what they did to you, but my goal is to protect Sasuke, even if that means protecting Konoha. Even if that means I need to attack you, and kill you. Even if it means I must work with the Akatsuki.' _He thought to himself.

"Aaawwweee! You ruined the reunion. I might cry." Naruto said, his voice still sounding like he was just a child in a grown body.

"Come on Itachi, let's cut off his legs and get going." Kisame said.

"How about a deal." Naruto said. "If you can subdue me, even for the most split of moments, without using your sword," he said while pointing at Kisame, "or your sharingan," he said, pointing at Itachi, "I will surrender and go with you willingly."

"Why on earth should we bother with that?" Kisame asked.

"Because I could always create several million kage bunshin to keep you occupied while I disappear, never to be seen by you again until a sword is buried in your backs." Naruto said as if it was that simple. He started to stand up straight, but the smile never faded.

"Let's just accept. It won't be hard to bring down a brat. If he's willing to surrender that easily, then there is no point letting him run away. Remember last time? He is fully capable of running and leaving us to fight clones." Itachi said. He just wanted to get it over with.

"Fine." Kisame grumbled, sounding like a child being told to put his candy bar back. He took Samehada, Shark Skin, off of his back and leaned it against a tree. When he turned back to Naruto he cracked his neck and prepared to subdue Naruto without too much effort.

'_Good, they still underestimate my power. Too bad. I would have shown them my true power if they hadn't allowed the plan to advance.' _Naruto thought to himself.

Naruto started laughing. "Now, let's see if you can win."

He then created so many clones that they were coming out of the trees. Itachi and kisame were instantly put on the defensive as the clones came from all directions, each using a different combination of attacks to keep the two Akatsuki from retaliating.

Itachi was forced to bring up his left knee to block a kick to the stomach and instantly turned around to parry a blow to his head. However, he couldn't block every blow as he felt a jab at his knees, his solar plexus, and then his shoulders. He could feel various blows and jabs at different areas of his body. He was dispelling some clones but couldn't get out of it. He quickly took a small opening to draw a tanto and start cutting away at the bunshin. His blade then met with another as some of the bunshin drew their blades.

He blocked and parried some of them but took some cuts to his arms and torso. However, he also managed to land some hits and dispel some clones. He even had to dodge some jutsu while also firing off some of his own.

Itachi stuck his blade in the throat of one while also lading a kick in the center of a clone's chest. With the opening he then managed to jump into the air and use a Katon jutsu that kicked up dust and smoke as bunshin were dispersed by the dozens. When he landed he didn't expect to be assaulted so quickly.

As the smoke and dust cleared he saw that Kisame was in no better condition. How could he have been so foolish to not expect Naruto to get stranger? He could see that one on one he would have ended Naruto easily. The blows were weak and uncoordinated. But the sheer numbers forced him to admit that he should have seen it coming. He saw the black and green blades in each clones hands, with some holding rasengen, about to end him.

"SUSANOO!" Itachi yelled as his Sharingan flared to life and twisted into its mangekyo form.

He was shocked to see the world around him shift and fade away. He was on his knees and turned to see Kisame in the same situation. He then also felt the lack of strain on his eyes caused by the Susanoo. He didn't even feel his sharingan active at all. It had gotten him out of the genjutsu before deactivating. Why was he so tired?

He looked up to see Naruto standing there. Itachi fell over onto his side right about the same time that Kisame did, however, his teammate still convulsed slightly. They had been trapped in a genjutsu.

"Thank you for being my perfect guinea pig." Naruto said. "You underestimated me and paid for it." Naruto walked over to Itachi before crouching next to him.

"You see, I was able to trick you and Kisame there to leave out your biggest threats to me. That sword of his could alter his chakra flow, and your sharingan could see through genjutsu. Once they were out of the way I simply blended reality and illusion. I created so many bunshin to attack you, then I had four, multilayered genjutsu woven around the both of you. Even you can't handle that many genjutsu when the only thing they're doing is hiding minor details. They allowed me to get a couple of people in close." Naruto said before Hinata and Shino were standing next to him.

"You see, those jabs you felt, the lack of chakra so great that your sharingan couldn't even stay active, and your inability to even move. Those things were cause by the actual damage the bunshin did, the work of Hinata here hitting several of your chakra points, Shino absorbing most of your chakra with the his insects, and then Anko using her snakes to fill your bodies with a paralyzing agent."

"Anko…is with you. I forgot about that bit of intel." Itachi said as Anko walked up as well. "But, even we didn't know about those two." He said, looking at Hinata and Shino.

"Now then, I'm going to give you a mild sedative so that we can take a trip, old friend." Naruto said before Anko applied a sedative to both Itachi and Kisame. Kisame was out of the illusion and Naruto had a clone seal Samehada into a scroll. The clone had multiple wounds on its hands from where the sword had attacked out of aggravation.

"Let's get them back to Uzu. We're one step closer to finally getting control of the power we're going to need." Naruto said. "We have work to do."

*break*

Itachi was forced awake by a rotten smell. When he opened his eyes he saw Naruto standing there, putting away a small vile containing a viscous liquid. He was standing there in his entirely black cloths with his Uzukage robe.

"These liquid smelling salts are infinitely useful." Naruto said. "Now, onto business." He said before pulling a stool out of the corner and sitting down.

They were inside of a small, wooden room. There was nothing on the walls or floors apart from the several seals that spread across the walls like chains. Itachi was sitting in the only furniture apart from the stool, a simple wooden chair. He noticed that he was unrestrained, but then realized that the seals were the restraints.

"So, let's get on with why you are trying to kill me. You were once like an older brother to me Itachi. Not only that, but the entire time you were free of genjutsu, I saw regret in your eyes. Are you truly with the Akatsuki just to protect Konoha, or just Sasuke? If it's just to protect Konoha," Naruto said, his voice growing cold, "then I will kill you now. No matter how close we were before, I will not allow you to stop Konoha's destruction. Though, I guess I could just seal you in a scroll until this all blows over and afterwards you can once again stand by me as you did before."

His voice returned to normal. "If it is only to protect Sasuke, then you can join me without worry. I have no intention of killing Sasuke. Unless of course, he gives me no other choice. So, what do you say, my friend?"

"I simply want to protect Sasuke. Konoha can burn. I still love the ideals it once stood for, but they have become something that must be destroyed so that it can be rebuilt on the structure it once stood for." Itachi said, sitting up. "As for the Akatsuki, you should know-"

"I know all about them. Have for a long time. You realize that your partner is sadistic right?" Naruto said, changing the topic for the moment.

Itachi nodded.

"Shino and Anko have been getting along quite well with him actually. It's creepy." Naruto said. "However, Kisame is still against my offer to join us. What about you though?"

Itachi nodded. "The fact that you won't hurt my brother means that I have no reason not to join you, and all the reason to do so. You're my friend Naruto, I'll join you."

Naruto stood up, smiled, and made a small hand seal. The seals on the walls disappeared. "Allow me to introduce you to my home. Allow me to show you Uzushiogakure."

Itachi's face was priceless.

"Come with me." Naruto said as he helped Itachi stand.

Itachi noticed that he was no longer wearing his Akatsuki cloak.

Naruto lead him out of the room and down a series of halls. They asked each other a few questions about what they had been doing over the year, however, Naruto avoided any questions about where they were or what was going on.

Eventually they came to a door that Naruto made a show of opening. Itachi could not have possibly seen what was behind that door coming.

"Naruto, what is that?"

"That is one of the ships in my air fleet. Its name is Shiva." Naruto said as he also looked at the massive, metal structure. "The structure itself weighs more than I know. The only reason it gets off the ground is because of the gravity seals imbedded into the metal. It forces the gravity to affect the ship at less than one thousand times normal. It makes fueling, and flying, the ship laughably easy. Getting the thing off the ground only requires taking it straight up."

"Wait, airships?" Itachi asked.

"Yes, we have Snow to thank for our fleet."

Shiva was a warship that expanded left and right in front of them so that they were looking at its left side. The outer armor of the ship was mostly white, with brown designs on some parts. The inside of the armor showed that there was a mostly open area. In that open area there were large platforms that connected two of the large outer plates. The platforms were meant for shinobi to walk across and fire of jutsu towards the ground. The platforms were only connected to armor, there for the shinobi had to descend to the platforms via ladders on either side of the bridge-like platforms. Itachi also noticed several other mechanisms and structures that were part of the ship, however, Naruto told him they were moving on.

As Itachi followed Naruto he saw a group of people who were playing a card game.

"Hello, Zhou." Naruto said. The man he was talking to had light, red armor, dark grey hair that came down to form two large sideburns, as well as light brown eyes.

"It's good to see you again lord Uzukage. The fact that you're here with Itachi Uchiha of all people means you must be here to take Shiva up."

"Yes, turning him to our side wasn't as hard as you thought it would be. It didn't even take a full minute, let alone half an hour." Naruto said. Zhou sighed and handed Naruto fifty ryo.

"Alright. Give us a minute and we'll have it ready to launch." Zhou said, sounding depressed. He had lost a bet.

"I'll be waiting on the bridge." Naruto said.

Eventually Naruto was standing next to Itachi on what Itachi assumed was the bridge of the ship. He saw that a large portion of the floor and most of the walls were made out of glass. He could tell that it was so that people could see where the ship was going. Itachi saw that Hinata, Shino, Anko, and a few people he had never met before were standing around as well. Though, he did recognize a few of them from a report on the Sound Four.

"Those people you don't know will be introduced to you later." Naruto had told him when they had boarded.

He looked down to see the ground far below them.

"This is Uzu no Kuni. I was able to rebuild it over the years, and it's where I've been hiding out all this time. This is why no one could find me. They were all looking in the wrong places." Naruto said.

"This…This is amazing. You actually managed to revive this place. Not even Jiraiya could bring down the barrier seal. And yet, you not only did that, but you rebuilt this entire island nation in four years."

"Of course Jiraiya couldn't. The seal goes deeper into the mechanics of a sealing than even he could work out. The seal itself is multilayered. That's how it generates the field that we call the barrier so easily. Jiraiya might be good at sealing jutsu, but there are only a few sealing masters alive right now and Jiraiya isn't one of them." Naruto said.

"Are you?"

"Of course." Naruto said. "Would you like to meet another later on?"

"It would be a pleasure to meet someone of such skill."

"Good. Later on I will introduce you to my grandfather."

"Your grandfather?"

"Yes, Kamaji was one of the largest reasons I was even able to survive getting out of Konoha. Did you know who my mother was?"

Itachi sighed. "Yes. I take it you know of your parents then. Why do you ask?"

"When she was taken to Konoha my grandfather, Kamaji, followed her so that he could watch over her. When I was betrayed I let them lock up a kage bunshin. As I ran I passed out and woke up in his home. He then explained how he was my grandfather. It was actually because of him that I was able to do anything other than walk away from Konoha, if I had survived. Well, that aside, let's head to a place where we can sit down and talk about everything that has happened and everything that will."

*break*

"So tell me, Kisame, why are you with the Akatsuki?" the Naruto clone asked.

Kisame, like Itachi, was un-restrained. However, when he tried to attack Naruto he was easily put back into his chair.

"I don't answer to you." Kisame responded.

"You're going to be stuck in here until you cooperate with me."

"Screw you."

"You're going to make this difficult? Perhaps Zabuza or Yagura could convince you to cooperate."

"Yagura was never anything more than a puppet, and Zabuza was a fool who tried to kill him. The fact that Zabuza is even still alive surprises me."

"I already knew about Yagura being a puppet. As for Zabuza, I could still restrain you and let him kill you. Or I could do it myself and give Samehada to someone else."

"Won't work. It would never allow that to happen."

"The blade was made with seals Kisame, do you think it cannot be adjusted? I would hate to do that to such a weapon, but I could."

There was a pause. "You cheated."

"What do you mean?"

"I didn't use Samehada and you still used a million clones."

"I told you that as long as you two didn't use the agreed upon items I wouldn't use my clones to help me runaway. I simply made a ton of clones to make you both miss the genjutsu that was cast on the both of you. But, I suppose I should let you in on a secret."

"What do you mean?" Kisame asked, giving the clone an odd look. Naruto had touched his curiosity.

'_Every human being's weakness, is curiosity.' _Naruto thought to himself.

"I will tell you where you are so long as you agree to be more cooperative."

"And how would I know you aren't lying?"

"Fine, I will show you where you are. I will let you out of here if you will simply be more courteous to your host." Naruto said.

Kisame gave a small growl. "Fine."

"Glad we could reach an agreement." Naruto said before simply opening the door to the room they were in.

"The door was unlocked?" Kisame asked, bewildered.

"Of course. It's not like you could have gotten to it anyways."

Kisame knew Naruto was right. Ever since he had tried to attack Naruto e couldn't even get out of his chair, much less reach the door.

With the seals disabled Kisame followed Naruto out of the door and into the hall he was able to see that not only was the room they were in not a dungeon, they were on ground level. He was able to look out the windows and see the ground.

"You didn't keep me in a secure location." Kisame said, giving a small tsk. "Not very smart."

"The walls of your room were lased with seals you couldn't see, and the ones you could see were only visible because I wanted them to be. If I hadn't been in there the seals would have been set to shock you if you had so much as touched the walls too hard, same for if you had tried to open the door. If I had wanted to I could have activated the gravity seals and made it too much for you to stand, much less move. This, is probably the most comfortable prison you will ever find."

"It's still a prison."

"Sometimes the rules, logic, and so many other things can be prisons. Please don't complain." Naruto said as they got outside.

Kisame could feel his strength coming back because of the lack of seals, and didn't see, or sense, anyone around. This was his chance.

"Just because the seals aren't holding you back doesn't mean you can get away." Naruto said. "You have no idea where you are, or what you would be dealing with."

Kisame calmed down and kept walking.

"Hey brat, when are you going to tell me where I am?"

"In a moment." Naruto said.

As they walked Kisame started to assess Naruto. He took note that he was no longer in orange, but in black clothing. He also took note of the black and green blade that Naruto had used during their fight.

"You mind telling me how I was defeated? The last thing I remember was seeing your blade coming toward me, and then blacking out before it ever touched me."

"You were in a genjutsu. What I didn't tell Itachi was that the genjutsu slowly got more complex as time went on. It slowly transitioned the both of you so that you couldn't tell the difference between the illusion and reality. You were caught in it and eventually I sedated you and Itachi. Your own arrogance cost you. It only hid that certain people went in and did multiple things to subdue you. Though I must admit, the fact that you underestimated me was the key to all of it. I'd have had a fall back plan of course, but you gave me the key to using plan a. but, I guess you could say that it was Itachi's underestimation of me. You wanted to use Samehada regardless, even though you did think I was weak either way."

"Thanks for that. I'll be sure to remember." Kisame said. He then looked up to see a large tower. However, as he looked around he also noticed the streets devoid of life.

"We're in a village, one with a powerful leader if the tower is any indication, yet there are no people. What's going on here?" Kisame asked.

"Yes, just wait till you see what village." Naruto said with an amused tone. "As for the people, there is a currently enemy shinobi in their streets. They are staying well away from you." Naruto said.

A few moments passes and they entered the tower before walking straight towards a lift. When they got on Naruto quickly set the devise to take them to the roof.

"So I take it I'll get my answers when we get off this elevator?" Kisame asked.

"Yes." Naruto said before placing his hand on Kisame's shoulder. "Be patient. Once you've see where we are, then you will answer some of my questions." He said before removing his hand as the lift came to a stop at the roof.

Naruto stepped off and walked towards the ledge. As Kisame came up behind him he turned around and spoke.

"Welcome Kisame. You're standing in Uzushiogakure."

Kisame looked out over the landscape that spanned as far as he could see. It was amazing.

"That's not possible." Kisame said. "For years Kiri had people working on the sealing mechanisms and still couldn't get the barrier down."

"I find it amazing you don't think this is fake. You said impossible, not fake." Naruto said.

"It can't be fake. I've been here before, during a break after the end of a war. Before this place was ever destroyed. You're too young to have seen this place, and the paintings don't do it justice. But this, this is exactly as I remember it. I can't believe I didn't recognize the tower before, but I have stood up here before and looked out at the land. How? How did you do this?"

"I'm an Uzumaki, as is my grandfather. My mother was as well. With the help of my mother's notes on the barrier and my grandfather's direct help I was able to open Uzu no Kuni. This is my home." Naruto said as he also turned to look at the landscape.

"Just looking at this, I'll answer some of your questions." Kisame said.

*break*

Naruto and Itachi now sat in a meeting room on board the Shiva. Naruto had long before opened the barrier so that the ship could head outward. He and Naruto were alone as the group of people that had joined them stayed on the bridge. The room they were in had a large table with multiple chairs. The table itself sat on a glass floor that allowed them to see below. It took some getting used to for Itachi.

"So, you're saying that the Madara that helped me kill my clan, was probably the same fake that caused the Kyuubi attack?" Itachi asked.

"Yes." Naruto responded.

"This has been a lot to take in. Uzu, Kamaji, the plans to destroy Konoha, Chronicle, Roku, the Uzumaki, all of this. I have to wonder if I'm still stuck in that genjutsu, or perhaps I'm still asleep." Itachi said.

"Yes, it is a lot to take in, but you aren't sleeping nor are you in a genjutsu."

"And now there's this madness you've dragged me into with the Akatsuki leader. I understand wanting to get him on your side so that 'Madara' can't control such an organization, but he won't go down nearly as easily as I did. He won't underestimate you. The fact that you're a jinchuriki, of the Kyuubi no less, is reason enough for him to go all out on you." Itachi said.

"Yes I know. The rinnegan will make him a worthy adversary to test my strength against." Naruto said. Nat only that, because of your depth into the organization with Madara, I have a piece of information that makes Nagato important to me. He is an Uzumaki. That might allow me to recruit him like I did you. Though it won't be nearly as easy."

"Of course it won't." Itachi said. "You will be taking on the entirety of the Akatsuki, including Madara. Are you sure that is a good idea?"

"Ye of little faith." Naruto said. "So, are you ready for your fist mission under my command?"

*break*

"So tell me Kisame, why are you with the Akatsuki?" Naruto asked. They were now sitting in his office.

"I can't tell you that." Kisame said.

"Is it because of Madara?" Naruto asked. He saw Kisame flinch slightly. "I already know about him being part of the organization so you might as well tell me."

Kisame tried to play it off. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Kisame, don't answer me all you like," Naruto said as his voice grew cold, "but do not lie to me."

The way Naruto spoke caused Kisame to question if he was still dealing with the same person that he and Itachi had gone after all those years ago.

Kisame never responded.

"Why?" Naruto asked.

"I won't tell you that." Kisame said.

"A lot of trust and loyalty for someone you don't know the true identity of." Naruto said.

"What do you mean?"

"Oh, so you didn't know?" Naruto said in an amused tone. "Madara has been dead for a long time. The Madara you know helped Itachi kill his clan and was behind the Kyuubi attack all those years ago. Even the Kyuubi will attest to the fact that it wasn't Madara who has been behind these things. However, I don't know who he is either." Naruto said.

"I don't believe you." Kisame said.

"You don't have to. The point is that until I came along, neither you nor Itachi knew. Good thing Itachi believes me."

"You still haven't told me where Itachi is." Kisame said.

"He is with the real me off the island. He has already joined me." Naruto said. "I have explained to him most of my plans and such, and he decided to join an old friend."

"What are you talking about?"

"You can ask Itachi later. For now I'm going to take you to your living quarters, let you think about everything I've told you."

*break*

It had been several days since Naruto had talked to Itachi and Kisame, and he had been able to get Kisame to open up more with Itachi's help, though he was still resisting Naruto's offers to join.

Progress had been swift as Naruto had taken the time to start putting together a plan to take on the rest of the Akatsuki. He had people preparing and had clones working round the clock on several projects.

Hinata and Itachi were walking down one of the halls in Naruto's tower at the center of the village. As they approached a door to their right they stopped as it was blown off its hinges and into the wall on their left, a plume of smoke following it out of the room. Imbedded in the wall, along with the door, was Naruto. He was covered in dust and started to stand back up. He coughed a little before brushing some of the dust off.

He looked at them. "Well, that didn't work." He said before walking back into the room, which had started venting out at this point.

Hinata and Itachi walked in and watched as Naruto jotted down some notes.

"Alchemical sealing jutsu failed. Literally instant ramen trial four, another failure." Naruto mumbled to himself.

"Naruto, what are you doing?" Itachi asked.

"Well, I learned recently that sealing jutsu were based off of techniques that existed before chakra was actually usable." Naruto said, turning to them briefly before turning back to the source of the smoke. There was a sealing array on a desk, a burnt bowl of ingredients sitting in the middle of it.

"I was able to uncover some documents about the origins of sealing jutsu. The Sage of Six Paths was using sealing jutsu not long after people were able to use chakra. So, I realized that it had to originate somewhere. Before the use of chakra people took what are now sealing arrays to take energy and matter from within the immediate surrounding area of the array to shift the matter into desired objects or formations. When chakra came into play the old ways were lost because the gain outweighed the loss in most people's eyes. Sealing arrays can't shift matter like it could before, but the wider variety of uses were still amazing." Naruto said, jotting down some more notes. "I'm still experimenting with it, but I think I will soon be able to incorporate the old ways of using these arrays into Uzu's sealing techniques. No one could possibly see it coming. It would be a lot like using jutsu, though not nearly as powerful, but also not as time consuming when done right." He said, turning around to look at them.

"That's amazing." Itachi said. "What were you trying to do there?" he said, pointing towards the still smoking bowl.

"Well, I got hungry." Naruto said, a grin on his face. "I was trying to create instant ramen."

Hinata sighed and put a hand to her face. _'Some things will never change.' _She thought to herself.

"Now, because they had no chakra at the time, they had to actually draw these sealing arrays. However, I was able to discover that I can achieve similar results when using my chakra to create a sealing array. It took some time, but by studding summoning jutsu I was able to discover how to make these arrays without taking the time to draw them out."

"Naruto, as interesting as this all is, the test is about to begin. Perhaps the Uzukage should make his appearance." Itachi said.

"Yes. Thank you Itachi." Naruto said as he put on his Uzukage robe.

As they left Itachi went on ahead while Hinata walked next to Naruto.

"Hinata." Naruto said, getting her attention. "When this business with the Akatsuki and Orochimaru is over, we're going ahead with phase four. I'm counting on you Hinata. Are you ready for this?" Naruto said, coming to a stop as he finished. Hinata hesitated as Naruto looked her in the eyes.

"Don't worry Naruto. I'm ready. Konoha will expect a war, that's for sure. But the war you have planned, they won't even be able to comprehend it. It will be a war they won't even believe. They won't be able to believe what happen next, even while it's happening." Hinata responded.

"Good." Naruto said. As they continued walking Naruto finally spoke again. They were getting close to the large coliseum. "Hinata…perhaps after we handle the Akatsuki…we could…do something."

"What are you asking Naruto?"

"Things are coming to a head. I don't want this to end with the possibility that things might never change."

"You still haven't said what you're trying to say Naruto." She said. Her face said it all. She was enjoying his hesitation.

"Hinata, don't make me say it. You know what I'm trying to say."

"Yes, I know. Just promise that one day you'll actually say it. Other than that, of course." She said, stopping to wrap him in a hug.

"Of course." Naruto said, returning the embrace.

When they finally parted they continued walking. They were sitting down in the coliseum.

The coliseum itself was rather large. Naruto knew that it could hold anywhere between 50,000 and 80,000 spectators. And all of those seats were full.

Around him and Hinata sat Itachi, Chronicle, Shino, Roku, and Kisame, though Kisame was having his chakra suppressed by several complex seals. Anko was out of the village for the time being, working on a mission for Naruto. He was able to see a few others sitting in the crowd. One of which was Mei and her two body guards.

They sat there for a moment before someone came over and told Naruto that they were ready to begin. Naruto stood up and walked over to a nearby platform so that just about everyone could see him. It took a few moments for the cacophony of the crowd to become silent, but when they did Naruto waited a moment before speaking loud enough for everyone to hear.

"Welcome everyone. You have all been with us a very long time. You have stood by me and this village, allowing it to grow into what it has become. We all know that the time to reveal ourselves is coming. We all know why. We cannot avoid the spy and information networks of others much longer. We are growing too strong for that. We shall show the world that we exist on our terms, not theirs. So, we now need a new generation of protectors. Protectors of our people, of our ideals, and our home. This has been a long time in the making. And I owe it all to you, the great people who have fueled the dream to rebuild this great village. We, as a people and as a true symbol of what a nation should be, shall not bow to the wishes of the world. We shall meet this world on equal footing. And then, long after we are gone, this great village... will endure. You great people and your decedents will all endure. I am proud to say that this is my village, no, that this is our village. Now, without further ado, let us begin the trial that shall test the worth of our up and coming protectors. This may only be a gennin exam, but in my eyes it is so much more. It is the start of a new chapter in the lives of those who advance. It is the event that will determine the worth of these shinobi. Now, I give things over to the proctor. Let the first match to begin."

Naruto left the small platform to go sit with the others again.

"Don't you think that was a little over the top Naruto?" Shino asked.

"Not at all. With everything that's coming, these people need something like that. They need these words. Besides, it wasn't a lie. It was all true. These new gennin are protectors of the village. This place couldn't have truly been rebuilt without these people. And finally, after I'm gone and you are gone and they are gone, this village will endure. The decedents of these people will carry on the mantle of this village long after we are gone. These words are needed now, when they can set in stone what needs to be set in stone." Naruto said.

Shino nodded. He understood now.

Then they heard the proctor announce the first match-up. Most of the crowd was shocked. Only Naruto, Hinata, and Shino knew that this would happen. It was a match between a young gennin named Kyuzo. Kyuzo fought more like a samurai, preferring his swords to his other techniques. The boy was usually silent, and didn't make any effort to be part of a conversation. Naruto had to say that he was rather skilled, wielding double blades that fit into one sheath on his back. The sheath had the duel blades coming over his left shoulder and past his right hip.

Kyuzo had short, shaggy blond hair, brown eyes, and wore mostly red. He wore a long, red coat that went to just above his ankles and had dark red lines going down the sides of his arms, as well as dark red straps. There were two long strips that went down the front of the coat to allow for mobility. His under clothing and shoes were black.

His opponent was what truly shocked the crowd. It was not another gennin hopeful, but Tayuya.

As they were both standing in the middle of the arena there was no noise. Even the proctor hadn't expected to have read this off of his charts. The proctor looked at Naruto for confirmation. He only received a simple nod.

"Begin!"

Kyuzo didn't waste time asking why he was fighting an elite jounin, instead drawing his swords and rushing in. Tayuya drew out her own kunai and threw them at the boy, only to have them deflected. Kyuzo was quick to jump over the blade of wind that Tayuya had sent at him. When he got closer she pulled out her flute and pushed a button so that the instrument extended into a metal pole. She used the metal pole to easily block all of his well-aimed slices. Tayuya saw an opening and slammed the pole into Kyuzo's ribs. The boy flinched but stayed silent, quickly retreating.

Without letting him catch his breath, Tayuya rushed him and tried to attack him with the metal pole. Kyuzo quickly dodged her attacks only for her to jab him in the sternum while he was still in the air. Kyuzo gasped in pain. He quickly got to his feet and prepared to fight her again.

He saw her flute fold in on itself before she started to play it. He quickly ran, trying to stop her from casting a genjutsu on him. He could feel the illusion rapping around him before he quickly sheathed one of his swords to stab his free hand. While the pain helped he was also trying to fend of the illusion that she was continuing to cast. He was unable to keep it up and finally fell on his face.

The match was over.

"How do you expect to really test them against opponents so superior to them?" Roku asked Naruto.

"Just watch." Naruto said.

Hours past as they watched the several dozen gennin hopefuls fight, all of them losing their matches. They all put up as much of a fight as they could, but none of them could win. Then the last match was about to be declared.

The match was to be for the gennin Kikuchiyo. The boy was young, but at the same time stood slightly tally than Naruto. He was known for getting angry easily and often causing trouble with his loud noise and sometimes clumsy ways. He reminded Naruto of himself, as was loyal and he sought recognition. When given true recognition when given recognition, he would return favors fourfold.

Coming from Snow, Kiku, as he was often called, was one who acted most like a samurai. He wore a black, hakama that went above his waist. Around his waist was a yellow obi. Red metal boots could be seen on his feet. Over his upper legs were red metal plates that hung from large, red metal plating over his torso that had a yellow metal X across his chest. Over that he wore a large haori. The haori was white below the waist and on the lower arms. The upper part was yellow apart from the black stitching. At the middle of the haori, just below the neck to his mid-torso, were two flaps that were folded outward. The flaps were black with two parallel yellow lines near the top. The haori was also slightly tattered along the bottom. He also had large white gloves with black stitching on his hands. In two slits in the haori on the shoulders two red metal plates, with the bottom half being yellow, stuck out. The final features were the red, metal helmet he wore that had a metal yellow crescent and circle on his forehead, and his long orange hair that fell down his shoulders.

His sword was large enough to be considered a broad sword. The handle was made of two red, metal poles, about a foot and a half in length, that were connected by other pieces of metal. The blade itself had a serrated edge.

As he came out onto the field, waiting for his opponent to be announced he started shouting.

"Come on! I can take whoever you throw at me! Bring it on!"

Naruto gave a gesture to the proctor before standing up. He walked to the edge of his seating area before jumping off.

Kiku heard someone land behind him and turned to face his opponent. He was startled to see the Uzukage stretching his arms out.

"L-lord Uzukage. W-what are you doing here?"

"I'm stretching. Getting limber."

"W-why?"

"So I won't pull a muscle during our fight. You might want to get limber too."

Kiku was now nervous. He hadn't expected to be fighting the Uzukage, Naruto noticed his hesitation.

"You might want to draw that sword. When he says begin, I will begin." Naruto said.

Kiku nodded before stealing his resolve and drawing his sword.

"Begin!"

Naruto rushed in. Kiku quickly tried to bring his sword down on Naruto from above. Naruto quickly stopped and grabbed the sword between his two flat palms. He extended his leg and kicked Kiku in his chest while letting go of the sword. The young boy was sent flying. When he landed Kiku was quick to get back on his feet in time to block Naruto's fist with the flat of his sword. He copied Naruto by taking the opportunity to send Naruto flying. However, Naruto landed on his feet. Naruto instantly disappeared. Kiku looked around, trying to find his opponent.

"If this was real, and I was a merciless enemy you would already be dead." Naruto's voice said.

Kiku felt the top of his head and felt a boot. Naruto had been standing on top of his head, not moving or flinching. He had stood there with his arms folded. Kiku tried to grab him but missed as Naruto flipped over and quickly grabbed Kiku's arm. He quickly twisted it and folded it against the boy's back. In moments he had disarmed the boy and done the same to his other arm. Kiku was now on his knees, the bottom of a boot pressing down in between his shoulder blades.

"Kiku, all of your class mates have fought jounin. Never assume you can simply take on any opponent simply because you have been trained. There is always someone who can beat you. There is always someone stronger, faster, and/or smarter than you. Never forget that even the greatest shinobi in history have had to block any kunai or shuriken aimed for vital locations. Nod if you understand my words." Naruto said.

Kiku nodded. When Naruto released him he was told to go sit with the other students.

"Now," Naruto said, "You are all probably wondering why the gennin were forced to fight jounin and higher." He said, pointing to himself when he said higher. "The reason is because I already know that these students are strong, have passed their tests, and can hold their ground. I wanted to see what they would do in the face of overwhelming odds. I wanted to see what they would do during their matches, even if they knew there was no way they could win. They fought to the best of their abilities, and that is what matters. Never compromise. Even in the face of Armageddon. I would now like to announce that all of the hopefuls who participated in this exam have all been promoted to the rank of gennin. Congratulations." He said before starting to clap. Everyone in the stands were instantly clapping a shouting there own congratulations.

In moments Naruto had leapt back up to where his friends waited. "See Roku? All went as it was supposed to. They have all already been tested for their strength, speed, intelligence, and such. This exam was to test their resolve more than anything else."

"I understand now." Roku said.

"Alright, let's go celebrate. Shall we? I myself am hungry."

*break*

"Naruto, we already told you we couldn't tell you anything about her. It's bad enough we told you that we know she's alive." Ryu said.

"I know that." Naruto said. "I just want you to give her that letter I just gave you."

They were in Naruto's office.

"Tell her what I told you. If she thinks it's important enough then fine. If not then you get reprimanded by her and destroy the letter. But I doubt that will happen. Just give her the message."

"Fine." Ryu said before disappearing.

"All the pieces are falling into place." Naruto said to himself.

*break*

"The woman sat in her room at the inn she had taken to for the night. She was about to change out of her black shirt and pants into something to sleep. She looked at the medallion in her hand before setting it down and moving towards her bag. Before she could get there a red door appeared in front of her.

"What could Ryu want at a time like this?" She asked herself.

When she walked through the door she was on a platform in the center of a bridge with caves on either end.

In front of her were Ryu and the dragon boss summon.

The boss summon for the dragons was a massive humanoid dragon that appeared to be wearing armor. It wore golden armor on its claws, both hands and feet, as well as mostly black armor everywhere else. Its wings almost appeared to be metal feathered wings, with small purple and gold coloring closer to the body while the feathers at the end were a reddish orange. Floating behind it by some invisible force was a golden, stylized disk.

"Hello Ryu, Bahamut." She said.

"Yes. There is something we need to give you, Mikasa." Ryu said.

"What is it?"

"Naruto wanted us to give you a message."

"You told him about me?"

"Only that you exist. Nothing else."

"Fine, what is this message?"

Ryu gave her a small letter that he had been holding in his right hand. "He said it was about your brother." Ryu said.

She quickly took the letter and started reading it.

'_Hello Mikasa,_

_I was able to get your name from the summoning contract. However, that's unimportant as I believe I know something about your brother, Akira Uzumaki. Meet me at the location below at the signified time and we shall see if I'm correct._

_-Naruto Uzumaki, Shodaime Uzukage.'_

She looked at the location and thought about it.

"Thank you Ryu." Mikasa said. "I wonder what will happen now." She mumbled to herself.

*break*

Weeks had passed since the exam as Naruto put together his plan for the Akatsuki. He was ready for them. The only problem was that he had no doubt they were also ready for him.

Shiva was starting to hover over a small forest as Naruto and everyone with them was about to disembark.

Standing on the ledge of one of the platforms were Naruto, Hinata, Shino, Roku, Kamaji, Itachi, Karin, Yagura, and Fuu.

Though Karin had been set as the leader of the barrier team, Naruto had had her sign the dragon contract as well. He had told her that it was for the Uzumaki as a whole to use the contract to aid the village.

"Naruto, you've had me monitoring the barrier all this time. Is it a good idea to have me on the mission as well?" Karin asked.

"Trust me, you and the rest of the Uzumaki are going to want to be with me later on."

When the Shiva came low enough they jumped off and landed in the trees. Naruto touched his ear to use the small radio.

"Shiva. You know the rendezvous location. Wait for us there." Naruto said.

"Of course." was the response he received.

Naruto turned to look at the others. "Alright, let's head out. You all know the plan. We can't get into Ame without being detected. The moment we get in we move quickly."

There was a collective 'hai'.

Eventually Naruto and his team stood outside of Amegakure, staring at the difference as the sky quickly became obscured with dense storm clouds. They could see the metal high rises of the industrialized village standing in the rain.

"Naruto, what are we waiting for. I know the plan after we get in, but you haven't told me why we're waiting." Itachi said.

"Itachi, now that you are under my command you need to understand that there is a plan in everything." Naruto said before a four of people entered the clearing. "And I love it when a plan comes together. Chronicle, nice of you to join us." Naruto said to the man at the front of the group.

Chronicle already had his black cloak on with the hood over his head. At his sides were Meizu, Gozu, and Angela.

"The plan you sent to me was a little last minute Naruto." Chronicle said.

"Of course it was." Naruto said with an amused tone. "I felt like seeing how quickly you would react to the new plan."

"Next time I want some warning." Chronicle said as he turned to Itachi.

"Don't look at me. I only learned about the plan a short while ago." Itachi said, holding his hands up defensively.

"Alright," Naruto said, "we're all here. We have work to do and villages to infiltrate. You all know the plan."

Instantly most of them were gone, leaving Naruto, Hinata, and Shino standing in the clearing. "Come on. Itachi has his part, Chronicle has his, the rest have theirs, and we have ours." Naruto said.

*break*

Itachi opened the doors and stood before Pain. The two stood there for a moment before Pain spoke.

"Itachi, where are the Kyuubi jinchuriki and Kisame?"

Itachi sighed. "Kisame is currently the guest of the jinchuriki, who is waiting for you to meet him."

"Are you telling me that you are here on his behalf?"

"Yes I am."

"I could kill you and still know where to find him. You know that."

"You are going to want to hear what he has to say, and he will be less likely to talk if I'm dead." Itachi said, turning to walk out the door he had come into. "You can follow, or you can kill me. Either way, he is waiting.

*break*

"Kabuto, how are the experiments coming along?" Orochimaru asked.

"Project: Deadman is currently yielding very little results. So far we have only had one survivor out of the several hundred. The only problem is that he has yet to exhibit any of the physical enhancements we had hoped for." Kabuto said.

"Well, if he doesn't show any promise you may proceed to further the experimentation of the surviving subject."

"Well…he didn't show any of what we were looking for, but there is more to my report." Kabuto said, moving a large monitor on a cart in front of Orochimaru.

When he turned on the monitor a video played. There was a man laying down on a table, the first person to have actually survived the experiments. He laid there for a moment before convulsing violently. People with large devices over their eyes, and wearing large white robes ran over to him to see what was happening to their prized subject. He pulled against his restraints until his wrists started pouring out blood.

Orochimaru couldn't believe what was happening. The man's blood shot up around him and lashed out at everything. The blood became sharp and solid, yet at the same time fluid. It not only ripped through the people around him and the restraints, but it also cut him across the chest. The cuts on his chest released more blood, in turn creating more tendrils that ripped around the room. Everyone around him fell, dead. With them dead the tendrils attacked the walls, creating a large gashed as pieces fell away. Holes opened up as the now unrestrained man stood up and staggered towards one of the large ones. He stopped and looked down at the blood flying from his wounds and ripping everything apart.

His hands flew to his face as he covered his eyes with clenched hands and started screaming. Oto shinobi appeared anf tried to restrain him again. His left eye looked out through a gap in between his fingers. He looked out at the shinobi before the blood flying around the room stopped. It all flew to him, condensed around him. After a second it shot out and ripped the screaming shinobi apart. The severed pieces scattered across the room and smeared the walls with blood.

The man kept screaming before stumbling towards the hole to keep trying to escape. He stopped once again and started screaming louder than before and dropped to the ground, convulsing. His screams died and he stopped moving as more people in white coats came to get the man back on the table and under restraints. His blood fell to the floor and pooled around him, his wounds closing up rapidly.

The video stopped.

"From what we can tell, the man loss consciousness due to blood loss." Kabuto said. "He has been under heavy sedation ever since."

"How long ago was this?" Orochimaru asked.

"A little over two weeks before you got back."

"I want you to proceed with the experimentation. Get his blood to experiment with it, monitor him, and do whatever you need to in order to figure out what happened. I want to know what exactly that is."

*break*

Pain stood on the small island with the rest of his paths. The island wasn't really an island, barely big enough for his paths and Itachi to stand on. The small chunk of land itself was several miles away from Ame, out in the ocean.

"Where is he Itachi?"

"He will be with you in a moment." Itachi said before disappearing in a murder of crows.

Pain waited a moment before looking down into the water. He could see the surrounding water becoming saturated with chakra. His eyes widened before all of the paths launched into the air.

"SUITON: UZUMAKI DESTRUCTION!" a voice yelled.

The water below started spinning rapidly, ripping the small island apart. Pain estimated that he resulting vortex had to have a radius of half a mile, the small island the center. It went on for a few moments before it all erupted.

"DOTON: FIELD OF SPEARS!"

The vortex was disrupted as sharp towers of stone erupted out of the water. They launched themselves upward, even branching of to create even more towers. To avoid them the Animal path used a summoning far a large bird to appear and lift it higher into the air.

The Naraka path was instantly impaled in the chest by one of the towers. The tower in its chest branched out, splitting the path into pieces.

The Preta path gabbed onto the spear about to go through his chest, quickly absorbing the chakra fueling it. As the stone stopped moving other stone spears branched out from other towers and ripped the path apart.

The Human path flipped over and landed on one of the towers launching at him. He ran downward, dodging any of the branched of spears that tried to impale him.

The Asura path pulled up its sleeve as the metal plate that made up its arms pealed back for a cannon to emerge and fire off a large blast of yellow. The incoming spears were destroyed. The path kept firing them of to destroy the branches that tried to come after it.

The main path, Deva path, held is hands out. "Shinra tensei."

The remaining paths were able to land on small patches of unoccupied water as the towers came to a stop.

"FUTON: CHAOS STORM!"

A blast of wind blew the paths of their feet as the stone towers were destroyed and the ocean thrown into a frenzy. The pains were forced under the water. Deva saw the Preta path try to keep itself up, however, the inner mechanisms not only weighed it down, but filled with water. Within moments it sank into the abys.

As the storm raged on the surface, Naruto stood there. "I will need to thank Chronicle for this."

"RAITON: DETRUCTION'S LIGHT!"

The wind started to condense as chakra constructed clouds that started to build electrical currents. Naruto directed them down into the water.

Pain didn't know where it was coming from, but the electricity that was frying the animal path was arching towards him and the human path. Deva quickly pulled the human path closer before launching his shinra tensei. The sphere pushed the water outward, allowing the two remaining paths to land on the surface of the water as it came rushing back in.

Pain looked over and saw the man standing several hundred yards away, black clots and white robe flapping in the wind. It too a moment for him to realize it was Naruto Uzumaki. Then he saw the man flash through hand signs before speaking. His tone sounded sadistic and quiet as he spoke.

"Katon: Desolation."

A wave of fire launched outward, already picking up billows of steam.

Deva was under water just before the fire hit him, though his left arm was slightly burned on his way down. He could feel the once freezing water starting to boil around him. The Human path was not as lucky. Through his shared vision he could see the very flesh melt off of the Human path's hands. It wasn't long before he lost his link with said path. After several moments he saw the searing light from the fire die down, allowing him to float back to the surface and regain his footing. He saw the ocean itself was steaming all around him. Had this been used on land the destruction would have been a sight to wonder at.

Naruto was closer now. "I have to say you lasted longer than expected. I was hoping we could do a little one on one before we talk. I spent quite a bit of chakra on those jutsu, especially bringing the stone towers up from the sea floor. That took a good bit out of me. Now what do you day we do this with a nice battle field?" he said before the water below them started to glow.

Pain looked down to see a writhing mass. A moment later and he saw that the mass was made up of thousands of chains, or one very long one, twisting against each other in the form of a massive cube. As the glowing, golden chains came to the surface they locked together. The cube breached the surface for them to stand on before stopping.

"I was told you wanted to talk." Pain said.

"Oh I do, but not to you. To your real face." Naruto said.

Pain paused. "So you deceived me."

"No, I made sure that everything went according to plan."

Naruto suddenly gripped his wrist as a light blue, almost white sphere formed in his hand.

"Over time I took the rasengan and made it more…flexible." Naruto said before charging.

Pain jumped over him. Naruto put his right foot down in front of him and spun around. He bolted and drove the rasengan into Pain's back. It quickly expanded and dug in before exploding. Pain was launched forward before flipping over to land on his feet.

"One of the biggest improvements I made to the jutsu was to be able to condense its form into a ball of pure destruction. Some other…improvements have been made. But, that's unimportant for the time being." Naruto said.

Naruto pulled a sword out of his robe before reaching into the sealing array and pulling out an already drawn sword. He quickly dashed forwards. Pain sent out another gravitational sphere. Naruto disappeared in a bright flash of black and white before the pain felt the sword go through its back. Pain turned around and kicked Naruto in the stomach. Naruto's sword had been taken from his grip when Pain turned around; it was still in his back and through his right set of ribs.

Naruto rushed in and tried to deliver another punch. Before he could get close some of the chains underneath him loosened and wrapped up his legs. He braced himself as Pain sent out another sphere, much larger than before. The moment it ended Naruto's legs were released and he went in again. Naruto delivered a particularly heavy blow to Pain's head. Pain knew that part of the skull in the deva path had to have been broken.

As they faced each other several explosions went off in the distance. Pain looked towards the direction of Ame, the source of the explosions.

Naruto sighed. "Chronicle, I told you to subdue Deidara in particular before the fights went too far. What are you doing over there?"

Naruto turned around, only for a fist to impact his face. He was sent back a few feet.

"My village is becoming a war zone now because of you." Pain said.

"You were the one who alerted the rest of the Akatsuiki, as I knew you would. Don't you dare blame that on me. I just needed to get to the real you. My orders were for them to avoid any and all damage. Your people are the ones destroying the village. Tell them to stand down so that we can speak face to face. My goal was to have your paths out of the way so that we could talk. My other people were brought in case the rest of the Akatsuki was a problem. I brought your paths out here as a courtesy. My goal was never to damage the village. Tell them to stand down so that we can talk. Then I won't have to destroy this path as well."

*break*

Naruto stood before Nagato and Konan. His team, including Chronicle, who had his hood down, and his people, stood along the walls. Nagato was getting out of his mobile throne, the usage of his paths no longer keeping him immobile.

"Well Nagato Uzumaki, I'm very happy to finally meet you." Naruto said. "I think it's about time you and I had a conversation."

"What about?" Nagato asked.

"Before we get to the heart of things, I want to know why you formed the Akatsuki." Naruto asked the now standing Nagato.

"Why?"

"I thought that the answer to that question would be obvious to you of all people. I want to understand you. Granted I don't think it will change my goals in the slightest. But, I hope it will allow me to change your own."

"What are you after?" Nagato asked. He looked skeptical.

"All I want is to bring an end to corruption, destroy Konoha, and rebuild."

"Rebuild what exactly?"

"Everything."

Nagato looked at him, wandering what exactly he meant. "Fine, then I will tell you why. But later, I want to know exactly what you mean by that."

*break*

"So you created the Akatsuki to bring about peace through the fear of your weapon. I have a better idea." Naruto said. "I would like you to join me. Both as an Uzumaki, and someone with similar goals."

"You want me to join you?"

"Yes, and I want you to bring the Akatsuki to my side as well. We can't have such destructive people on the loose. I also want to allow you to see a truth that Madara has hidden from you."

"What truth?"

"The truth of the Juubi he has you trying to resurrect."

"Explain."

"First off, I should explain that the Madara you have been dealing with is a fake. We're not sure who he is, though I have built up some theories." Naruto said, remembering his spies reporting similar abilities used by Kakashi of the Sharingan as the one Madara used. It gave Naruto a good idea. "The point is that the real Madara died a long time ago. Now to the Juubi I mentioned. Do you know what the biju are? Second question, do you know what the statue you were planning to seal the biju into is?"

Nagato looked into the corner at Itachi. Itachi nodded. He had told Naruto everything he knew.

"Apparently, whatever I know about them is either wrong, or a half truth. What exactly is it that I'm missing?" Nagato asked.

"You were right when you said that they would create a weapon, but not one that you could control. Madara would most likely not allow it. The statue is the husk that once made up the body of the Juubi. The form from which that nine biju were created by the Sage of Six Paths. He then sealed the husk in the moon. By rejoining them you would recreate a monster that has the potential to destroy everything. Though, I have a theory that Madara has a specific purpose for it. As well as for you, or rather your eyes."

"What are you talking about?"

"I won't go into detail at this exact moment for two reasons. The first is that you are not yet my ally, and the second is that I don't like the prying eye in the corner over there." Naruto said.

They all turned to where he pointed.

"Come on Madara, materialize so that we can sense you and chat." Naruto said. He didn't like how difficult it was to detect Madara when he was in his intangible state. Conventional sensory techniques did nothing to detect the man.

The man who had been going as Tobi for the past few years walked out of the shadows and looked around. A noticeable difference was a slash across the mask he wore. Madara stood there without making a sound.

"Come on Madara. You aren't still mad about our last run in are you? I thought you would have gotten over that little scratch." Naruto said in a cheerful tone.

Naruto started laughing as he remembered the last time the two had encountered each other. Naruto had been able to antagonize the man enough to make the man talk about him being Madara, as well as the night he tried to destroy Konoha the night he was born. Naruto had even been able to draw out the fight long enough to scratch the man's mask. It had been useful experience against the man.

Madara had actually tried to recruit him. He had tried to get Naruto to not only come with him willingly, but also to work for him until he was no longer needed.

"Perhaps you could reconsider my offer." Madara said, brushing off his comment.

"No. Perhaps you could tell me what your plan is. Maybe you could tell me why I should reconsider."

"Nagato, could you help me subdue the jinchuriki now? The plan must proceed."

"No Madara. I have never trusted you. And I will no longer serve you either." Nagato said.

Madara let out a small sigh. "You want to know my plan? You already know most of the details thanks to these traitors. I see no harm in telling you what you most likely know, if what you said is true. The plan is called Tsuki no me. The eye of the moon plan, in which I will create the infinite dream world of the Infinite Tsukuyomi. I will bring about the perfect world. Now just surrender."

"Well Madara. Now that I have confirmed that your plan is what I thought it was, maybe I can recruit you. You once brought Kisame to your side by telling him you would create a world without lies. Now I will try to do the same, though to a different degree. With the notes of the Sage I was able to discover the true purpose of the Infinite Tsukuyomi. With you gathering biju I figured that had to be the end game." Naruto spread his arms outward before smiling. "Its purpose was to create a monster beyond even your control, or the original Madara. To resurrect the mother of the Sage."

"What are you talking about?" Madara asked.

"Oh, yes. The real Madara probably left that detail out. Though I doubt he knew it himself." Naruto said before pulling out a scroll and tossing it to Madara. "Take a look at that and get back to me. I will leave a section of the barrier down just for you. In that scroll is everything you need to know about your false plan." He said before Madara disappeared.

"Naruto, would you mind telling me what just happened?" Chronicle asked.

He could see that Nagato was on his side now, if just barely. "Chronicle, I just made the organization you wanted to destroy, my ally. I told you that it was possible with the correct motivation."

"Naruto Uzumaki, I have yet to decide what side I fall on. Do not be so quick to call me your ally."

"Regardless, you are no longer an enemy. Not to mention that I have faith in you to not allow the members of the Akatsuki to run wild. For now-" he cut himself off. He smiled. "My other incentive has arrived. If my calculations are correct, then I have assembled every last living Uzumaki together in one room." He said before the room flashed black and white. A clone stood there with a woman. The woman had short red hair and dark blue eyes. "Hello Mikasa. I'm so glad you could come. Now, perhaps you could tell me whether or not I was correct? He's right over there." Naruto said, pointing at Chronicle.

Chronicle had frozen as his eyes locked with those of Mikasa. She said something. One word. "Akira."

Mikasa and Akira were two words that sent his mind reeling. He saw the memory from before. He saw his older sister, her short red hair. He saw his father, a monstrous man trying to avenge his fallen wife with the power of a sage. He saw the wings on his father's back envelop him before the smell of burning flesh attacked his senses. He saw Ryu take them to someone he trusted. He saw everything. He snapped.

"Akira. It is you, right? It's been a long time, but I can still tell somehow." Mikasa said.

Chronicle didn't respond at first. Then he fell to his knees, releasing a loud scream.

Mikasa's eyes widened in panic. "No. You need to restrain him. Now!" She said.

Chronicle gripped his head and continued screaming. He started seeing his family dying, repeatedly. He even saw Mikasa, as she died. He saw her die, and the people responsible for it. They would all die. He would find them, and they would all die.

A dark aura started surrounding Chronicle as his screams became deeper, and rougher. His black robe started being torn away as black armor started to form around him.

The armor was pitch-black armor with a rustic helmet with a thinly carved slit displaying a ghastly red glow. The armor appeared to be the work of the delicate and nuanced workmanship of its smith's utmost effort, succeeding in granting it an air of formidability and a fine construction. It was a perfect set of armor that could be called neither exquisite nor crude, and it instead perfectly melded magnificence and functionality. It was carved with countless marks and scratches, the highlights of various military exploits etched into it to add a touch of valor. It was, in a way, an ideal battle outfit. Slits between the plating of the armor began to release a glow similar to the one from the slit over his eyes. The aura of black intensified as Chronicle stood up and released another yell, though it sounded more like the roar of an animal.

His yelling stopped all of a sudden before looking at Mikasa. He was instantly gone, reappearing with his hand gipping Mikasa's throat. He had her lifted off the ground.

"I saw you die. I…saw…you…die." His graveled voice said, the tone was low and dark.

"You thought you did. I was severally injured, but not killed. You did what you're doing now, you killed some of them and chased the others away. But then you disappeared. I've been looking for you for so long." She said as best she could.

"I…don't…believe…you." He said, drawing one of his swords. The sword had turned black, red veins running along the blade.

His grip on her neck was gone as he turned around to slash his blade at Naruto, who had come up behind him to try to stop him.

Naruto jumped back before drawing his own sword and coming back. He blocked Chronicle's sword with his own before creating a rasengan in his other hand and shoving it into the man's face. Chronicle was sent into the wall before his armor faded. He was unconscious.

"Don't worry, whatever that armor was protected him from the attack. It's a good thing that whatever was happening to him caused him to go berserk or that fight would have taken longer." Naruto said. He then looked at Mikasa. "Whatever just happened to him, you knew about it. I expect an explanation." Naruto said.

"And you'll get one." Mikasa said. "But perhaps I could also get an explanation for why you decided to gather us all here."

"Oh, that? I wanted to finnally bring the Uzumaki together. We have a lot of work to do, and not much time."

"Why sould that matter to me?"

"You sound like you're trying to chalange me. Perhaps you should first hear the word of those who just helped you, rather than snap at them." Naruto said. "Now, I believe explanations are needed for all presant. Let's begin."

**[A/N] As promissed, I give you my longest chapter so far. I hope you all enjoyed. I will be posting some links to pictures for you all on my profile, though I couldn't find one for the Fugaku. The ship was from Sengoku Basara: Samurai Kings. Anyways. As for Kiku, I hope I didn't mess up with his hakama. I did some resurch but was not sure if that was curect. Anyways, I will be getting to work on my next chapters here soon. I will also be trying to work on my second story, Insanity, as well as my third story that has not been released yet. So I hope I was able to fill up some more of your time with this, and I hope that you all enjoed. Until next time.**


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